Cold As Ice
by Bright4286
Summary: Out for revenge after their last encounter, the Avengers head out in search of their worst enemies intent on putting them behind bars for good. But when things go wrong, how will the Avengers cope? Sequel to Our Worst Nightmare. Mainly Clint-centric but will include other characters' viewpoints as well.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N Hey guys! I'm happy to inform you that I've finally found the time to begin writing this story. Just a heads up this is the sequel to my other story Our Worst Nightmare. You will need to go back and read that story before starting this one, otherwise none of this will make any sense whatsoever. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination. So anyway without further ado here's the first chapter of Cold As Ice!_

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Chapter One: Hawkeye

Recap from Our worst nightmare...

I watch with satisfaction as the arrow hits the center of the bullseye. As does the next one. My injuries have finally just about healed up now, but I still can't stand on my ankle for too long. They removed the casts from my fingers and ankle about two weeks ago and I was able to start walking around even if it was just for short periods of time. My ribs no longer give me trouble breathing as they had in the beginning and the puncture wound in my stomach is finally nothing more than a scar to add to the list of old injuries that I have. The cuts and burns on my hands have all but disappeared and two weeks ago I was finally allowed to shoot my bow again and I haven't stopped since then. I'm in the range every day with Natasha and nothing could make me happier. I let another arrow fly and it splits the previous one down the middle.

"Nice shot, Clint." Natasha's voice fills the room.

"I never miss." I say teasingly.

"Everything's just about healed up. You'll be good as new in no time." I nod and take a seat on the bench, my ankle was starting to protest. She sits down next to me.

"Do you think we'll ever find them?" Her face hardens and I know she knows exactly who I'm talking about.

"I promise, Clint, we will find Loki and Trickshot and everyone else who are responsible for all of this and we will end this." I nod and she places her hand on my leg. We stay this way in comfortable silence for a few minutes when the door busts open and Bruce comes bursting in. There's a urgent look in his eyes and he's breathing hard like he'd been running. As if he'd heard they're entire previous conversation he gives the news.

"It's Tony. He found them." He says between gasps. With that simple sentence the three Avengers take off sprinting towards Tony's lab to find out where their enemies have been hiding all this time.

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Bruce, Natasha, and I come bursting through the door of Tony's lab where he, Steve, and Thor are huddled around a computer screen. When they hear us enter the trio motions us over to the screen. The expanse of the monitor is filled with complex equations with more letters than numbers that I can't make sense of and there a map of the world in the background. A small red blip is blinking periodically at the top of the map and without asking I know that that is where our targets are hiding. Stark confirms my suspicions when he notices that I'm staring intently at the dot.

"They started off in Ecuador, I'm not sure why they were there, then they left for South Africa. After that it was on to various spots in Asia and Europe before they ended up in Antarctica. The seven of them have been holed up there for about a week. I would've found them earlier but Loki was using his magic to throw me off the trail. I'll admit he's good, but I'm better." The genius throws us a cocky smile before pointing to the blip on the monitor. "That, my friends, is where we'll find them." A tense silence fills the room. My hands clench into fists as I continue to stare at the dot that indicates where our enemies are. The same people who nearly killed me. My heart rate quickens as I think of Trickshot's sadistic smile as he waiting for the Tower to explode and end my life. You're gonna have to try harder than that. I think to myself. Natasha notices my change in mood and glances at me. When she catches my eyes, a silent conversation passes between us.

Are you alright? The question reflects itself in her eyes and I nod. I'm fine. Or at least I will be, right after I put an arrow through Trickshot's eye socket. We maintain eye contact for another few seconds before Steve speaks up.

"Ok now that we know where they are we need to come up with a plan. We already know that we can't just barge in guns blazing, they're too strong for that. Stealth will need to be our ally on this mission, it will be our only advantage against these criminals. They will be expecting us to find them eventually so they'll be ready. Which means there will be extremely dangerous defenses and a lot higher stakes. We only have one shot at this. Let's get it done." At that he turns on his heels and heads towards the armory that Coulson had specifically designed for us in the safe house to use if Avengers Tower ever became compromised. We stand still for a few seconds before one by one we begin to follow the captain. My feet carry me into the large room before I fully comprehend that I'm actually moving. Three walls are lined with guns, grenades, explosives, and a various assortment of other weapons that we might need at our disposal. The fourth wall was designed for our personalized weaponry. Cap's shield, Natasha's Widow's bites, and Tony's suit all sit in there designated places. My bow is still clutched tightly in my grasp after bringing it with me from the range when I'd been given the news earlier. Without hesitation the rest of the Avengers, except for Banner, grab what they need and start to leave the room to suit up. I make my way to my room with a determination that I haven't felt in a long time. My hand wraps around the doorknob that leads to my room and I hastily jerk it open. I quickly walk over to my closet and pull out my suit before pulling on the top. Soon I'm fully dressed and ready to leave. I grab my bow off the bed and walk out the door into the hallway where Nat is waiting for me. She gives me a nod and heads off in the direction of the hangar. I follow her lead and am soon waiting in front of the Quinjet with her and Steve. Stark, Banner, and Thor join us soon after and the six of us start to make our way up the cargo ramp and into the plane. Before I can enter though, Natasha stops me. She give me a look and I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're ready for this? You just got back on your feet." I nod.

"I'm fine." She shakes her head at me and puts her hands on her hips.

"Clint, this isn't going to be easy and I don't want you to go unless you're one hundred percent ready for it." I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Tasha, I'm fine. Believe me." I don't give her a chance to protest any further as I walk into the plane where the others are waiting. Steve gives me a questioning look and I shake my head, unwilling to discuss the matter any further. I take a seat and place my bow down next to me. Widow enters the plane and takes her place next to me while the others spread out around the aircraft. Stark plops down in the pilot's seat and raises the cargo ramp. No speaks as we take off and fly into the air. The silence settles on the plane like a blanket and the tension is almost palpable. Thor is the one who breaks the silence.

"I'm sorry." Everyone gives the Asguardian confused looks.

"What are you talking about?" Steve is the first to address Thor's sudden outburst.

"If it had not been for my brother our enemies would not have gotten away the first time and we would not be in the position that we are in now." I shake my head.

"That isn't your fault, Thor. You can't control Loki's actions, no matter how much you may want to. Everything that he did is on him, not you." This seems to calm the man and he nods slowly before joining Iron Man in the cockpit to check on our progress. I decide to follow his lead and stand before heading into the cockpit.

"How long before we reach Antarctica?" The billionaire glances at me.

"Since shield designed the Quinjet, and I modified it, this baby can hit Mach 2. If my calculations are correct, which they are, we should be there in roughly seven hours." I nod and return to my seat. My mind wanders slightly as I try to occupy myself during the flight. My thoughts roam back to the Tower. I remember everything from the moment I first tried to open the door to jumping out of the building in vivid detail. I remember kneeling down by the bomb watching as the numbers on the display skyrocket, edging ever closer to that fateful three hundred eighteen degrees. I can almost feel the heat burning my fingers at the memory. My abdomen and leg are haunted by a phantom pain where the arrows had pierced my body at Trickshot's hand. My hands curl into fists and I take a deep breath. A hand lands on my shoulder and snaps my back into reality. Natasha stares at me and I meet her gaze. I can see the concern in her eyes but I shrug it off. She reluctantly looks away and focuses on prepping for the mission. By the time we finally reach the barren land I've already checked all of my arrows three times over, built a couple more, and proceeded to annoy Nat to no end. When Tony manages to land on the ice I stand and head for the door. The ramp descends and the other Avengers join me. Captain America turns to the group.

"Everyone ready?" We nod. He leads the way with Tony correcting him occasionally on the directions to our destinations. Nat glances at me and I nod. This is where it ends.

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 _A/N well that's it. Chapter one is over with! I hope you enjoy reading the latest chapter of Cold As Ice. Reviews are welcome, it would mean so much to have you guy's input. Also I'm starting something new and have started taking requests for any stories that anyone wants to see written. If you leave a request I will try to write it but I make no promises. so if you have a request you can either leave it as a comment or message me personally. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the ones that will follow._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Cold As Ice. Disclaimer: I own nothing_

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Chapter Two: Black Widow

My feet crunch down on the ice, sending little chips of the substance skittering in different directions. A cold breeze blows over the bare landscape and I pull my jacket tighter around me. Of course Loki had to choose the coldest freaking place on earth to set up camp. I shake my head and shove my hands in my pockets trying to warm them up. Cap and Iron Man are still at the front of the pack, leading the way. Every now and then they'd change course start heading off in a different direction. After the third time of doubling back and changing directions I've had enough.

"Do you even know where you're going, Stark?" The billionaire turns to me and puts one metal encased hand on his chest in mocked surprise.

"You would doubt me, Widow? Of course I know where I'm going, this tech is top of the line. It will show us exactly where they're hiding out, the snow is just making things a little more difficult." I roll my eyes and he resumes his journey across the tundra, only this time he's making sure not to take as many twists and turns in the process. The snow, which was only a small sprinkle at first, is now raining down around us. The frozen rain pelts our backs as we trek through the white substance. Soon it's up to our ankles and we're soaked from head to toe. Suddenly Captain America stops in his tracks, nearly causing Tony to trip over him.

"Geez Capsicle, give a guy a little warning next time." The man grumbles. Steve puts s finger to his lips and motions out in front of us. At first it just looks like more snow and ice, but then I see it. A small building stands no more than two hundred yards ahead of us. "That has to be it. It's exactly where it should be." Tony says gesturing to the red dot on the holographic screen in his suit. Steve nods before taking a tentative step forwards.

"We'll use the snow storm to conceal our entrance. Split up into groups of two and spread out. We'll move in from the sides and work our way to the front." With his orders given the Captain takes off across the ice with Iron Man in tow. Obviously I pair up with Clint and Thor is left with Bruce, who is starting to look a little green around the edges. I take the first few steps towards the compound and look down at my feet. Something's off. Instead of feeling somewhat sturdy ground where there was actually dirt underneath the layers of ice, Antarctica isn't just one big sheet of ice you know, it was just ice. I could almost see the water running underneath my feet. It only took me a moment to realize where we were. Immediately I threw an arm out and stopped Clint. He gave me a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" He cocks his head at me.

"We're standing on just ice, we've got maybe four inches between us and the water underneath." He takes a nervous breath.

"Well that should be enough right? I mean four inches is the minimum of a thickness for people to stand on when they're ice fishing and stuff." He gives me a hopeful look. I shake my head.

"That's only for new, clear ice. The stuff we're standing on is called white ice, it's only half as strong, the minimum to walk on is eight inches." He lets out a sigh.

"Of course it is. Why is it that we always have the worst luck?" I look behind us, we're about twenty feet from more solid ground. If we are careful we may be able to make it there without cracking the ice. Slowly I turn to Clint.

"If we take it slow we can make it but we've got to be careful, otherwise we're gonna end up in the water." He nods at me and I take a tentative step back towards the way we came. A quiet crunch sounds under my feet and I freeze. I wait a few moments before taking another step and another and another. I'm fifteen feet from shore when I see Thor and Bruce about to walk out onto the ice. My heart stops as the giant Asguardian goes to place his foot on the surface. "Thor, no!" My plea comes too late and his shoe lands on the ice. At first nothing happens and I'm about to continue walking. Then a loud crack erupts underneath us and I watch as the ice begins to shatter under his feet. Thor reaches out and grabs Banner before flying into the air. The ice continues to crack and the stuff beneath me is about to give way. I turn to Clint and take off at a sprint. "Barton, run!" I scream at the top of my lungs. He hears my plea and starts to run the other direction. I finally start to put some ground between me and the death trap behind me when my foot slips and I go crashing to the ground. I turn to see the freezing ocean looming just a few feet behind me, and it's getting closer. My hands claw at the slick surface trying to get a grip to pull myself up. Suddenly a pair of hands grabs me by the arms and hauls me to my feet. I glance up to see my partner pulling me along away from the water. My legs finally decide to cooperate and I sprint with him. Steve and Tony have finally become aware of our situation and are standing just twenty feet away on thicker ice, they don't dare come any closer in fear of breaking the ice in front of us also. We're gonna make it. I think to myself. We're ten feet away from them now. The water is lapping at my heels. The back of my boot slips into the liquid and I start to fall. Suddenly I'm being flung forward and I land at Steve's feet. I turn just in time to see Clint falling into the freezing water, his body slipping beneath the waves. Immediate I try to go back and get him but Tony stops me. I keep fighting him, but I just can't get loose.

"Natasha you'll freeze!" He screams at me. I break away from his grip just in time to see Steve reach down into the water and pull my partner up to the surface. Clint is barely conscious and he's shivering. His lips are blue and frost is already starting to form in his hair. Cap pulls off his jacket and places it around my partner's shoulders, to which he gratefully accepts. I sit next to him and wrap my arms around his trembling form. After a few minutes he's stopped shaking and I help him stand to his feet. Everyone makes sure he's ok before we start to make our way to the compound, our mission no longer forgotten. Tony glances back at the now visible ocean behind us.

"Well, so much for stealth."

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 _A/N well that's the end of chapter two, sorry if it's kinda short. I hope that you enjoyed it though. I would love some reviews if you don't mind. Also I'd like to remind you that I'm accepting requests for stories if you have any ideas._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I may not be updating quite as often because my life has become pretty chaotic recently, but I will do my best to keep up with my current updating schedule. Anyway here's chapter three. I hope you like it._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Three: Hawkeye

My teeth chatter as we slowly make our way to the building. Water drips down my face and neck before freezing once it gets to my shirt. Cap's jacket helps to protect me a little bit against the cold, but not much because my clothes are still wet from my unplanned swim earlier. We better get out of this weather fast or Cap might not be the only team member to be frozen. I rub my gloved hands together trying to get some warmth into them but it doesn't help that much, they're still freezing. I'm interrupted from my attempts when we come up to the entrance to the building. Steve puts up a hand and we all stop in our tracks. He slowly makes his way to the door and listens for any movement. When he doesn't hear anything he motions for us to gather at the entrance and he carefully opens the door. Widow is the first to enter followed by myself, Iron Man, Thor, and Banner with Captain America coming up the rear. The first thing I notice is that it's warm. Seriously warm, not like seventy degrees, no, it's almost hot. We sweep the large room that we entered as soon as we came through the door and ,when we find nothing, we lower our weapons. I pull my thick gloves off and move my fingers around to get some blood flowing and I notice everyone else is doing the same. Steve's jacket makes me feel like I'm in an oven so I take it off also so I'm standing there in my normal mission attire. The others seem to have the same idea and we've soon shed all of our extra layers of clothes. We pile all of it into a corner and Natasha places a cloaking device on it that shield designed so no one knows that we're here. I wring my shirt out before turning to Cap, waiting for him to explain the rest of the plan. Right on cue he dives in to his explanation.

"We'll split into pairs and search the building, if you find ANYTHING you will radio it back to the rest of us using your comm. link." I nod. Thank goodness our comms are waterproof, otherwise I'd have a little bit of a problem. "Hawkeye and Widow, you two will take the south side. Thor and Bruce, the east. Tony and I will take the west. If something happens you are to meet back at the north entrance, which is where we are now. Understood?" He gets a chorus of nods. "Bruce do not let the Hulk make an appearance unless it's absolutely necessary." The scientist nods and starts to head off with Thor. The rest of us go our separate ways and prepare for any challenges that may lie ahead. Natasha leads the way as we cautiously creep down the hall in search of any threats. My fingers hold the bowstring taunt in anticipation, ready for anything. I hear quiet voices around the corner and I stop short. Nat glances at me and I slowly peak out into the other hallway and see two A.I.M agents standing with their backs to us. I relay the information to Black Widow and she nods. The two of us sneak out from behind the corner without making a sound and come up behind the two unsuspecting men. Before they even know we're there the two are lying in a heap on the ground, their necks snapped. We drag the bodies over to the wall and prop them up in a sitting position before continuing our journey south. The halls are dimly lit by overhead lights, most of them don't even work so it pretty dark, and it casts an eerie glow on my surroundings. Our feet make no sound as we walk down the halls, keeping our eyes peeled. I take in every detail, searching for any sign of Trickshot or the other villains. I know Nat is doing the same thing but it's Madame B who's on her mind. My eyes roam over the area in front of me and something catches my eye. I stop and look quizzically at the object. It takes me a moment to realize what I'm looking at. A thin, silver tripwire is pulled out ought across the hallway. Anyone would've walked right into it if they weren't paying attention. My hand shoots out and stops Natasha to prevent her from walking into it. I motion to the hazard and her eyebrows furrow. They must've known we were coming and that at least one of us would've come this way.

"Guess they were expecting us." I whisper to her. She nods and steps over it. I follow suit. No sooner had we done this than six A.I.M agents come around the corner, weapons raised. Without hesitation I release an arrow and it embeds itself in the first attackers chest, killing him instantly. Nat sprints to the nearest man and swiftly kicks him in the stomach before promptly using him as a ladder and launches herself over him to grab the agent next to him in a thigh choke. I follow her lead and use my bow as a battering ram, slamming it into Natasha's first victim's face knocking him out cold. One of them shoots a laser at me and I drop to a crouch and roll out of the way. He comes at me and I use my legs to throw him across the hall from my position on the floor. I hear my partner shout something and I turn to see her pointing in the direction where I just threw one of the me. Quickly I turn to see what she's talking about and my heart stops when I notice what he's doing. The idiot is reaching towards the tripwire, trying to set it off. I jump up and run straight at him but I'm too late. He pulls on the wire and it snaps. At first nothing happens but then all the A.I.M agents shoot grappling hooks into the ceiling. It puzzles me at first and I make a move to grab onto the nearest one, when the floor disappears underneath me. A shout escapes me and I'm suddenly plummeting down a chute of some sort. I throw my arms out to the sides in an attempt to slow my descent but I can't quite reach. There's an opening about fifteen feet below me and I can see the ground getting closer and closer every second. Well this is gonna hurt. That's the last thing that goes through my mind before I hit the floor and everything goes black.

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Ouch. My eyes flutter open and I look around. I'm in a small room with no windows and one steel door on the east wall. The entire area is concrete and there's a hole in the roof above my head where I came in, well fell in actually. The chute goes about twenty feet up before abruptly ending where I'm guessing the floor of the next level starts. It's reinforced with some type of metal and I seriously doubt I could break through it, unless I used an explosive arrow. It's also freezing in here, the temperature was probably hovering somewhere around ten or fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. I tried to wrap my arms around myself in an attempt to ward off the cold, but something prevented my arms from moving. Confused I look back and see that my hands are chained to the wall above my head. It's then that I begin to take stock of my situation. My shirt, socks, and shoes have all been removed which leaves me in just my black cargo pants, which are still wet from falling in the water. A shiver passes through me involuntarily and I shake my head. I put my chin to my chest and close my eyes for a moment. Suddenly the door bursts open and I jerk my head back up to look at the intruder. Rage fills me as I see who it is. Trickshot smiles at me. The archer takes a few steps towards me.

"Hello, Clint. Did you miss me?" I growl at him and he frowns. "I've been waiting a long time for this." As soon as he finishes his statement he pulls out a knife and slices it across my chest. I don't even flinch. A burning sensation covers my torso as he carves something into my skin. He puts the knife away and before I can react a punch connects with my jaw, jerking my head to the side. My nemesis stands to his feet and walks out the door, muttering a "see you soon" as he exits. The second he's left I start to think about the others, hoping they are better off than I am. Little do I know that the five of them are all in very similar situations. I bring my knees up to my chest, careful not to touch my newest injury, and try to keep warm in the below freezing temperatures.

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 _A/N well that's it for chapter three, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews are welcome, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave one._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N hey guys. Sorry if this chapters a little short, like I said I've been super busy. i hope you enjoy this next chapter of cold as ice. Disclaimer: I own nothing_

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Chapter Four: Iron Man

My wrists ache as I try to escape from my chains that have my suspended above the ground by my arms. I've been in the same position for around an hour and it's starting to kill my shoulders. The room that I'm currently in is completely empty aside from myself and the silence is almost deafening. I've always hated the silence, it's too, well, quiet. I have to have some sort of noise to keep me sane. Whether is be J.A.R.V.I.S constantly jabbering in my ear or the familiar tunes of AC/DC blaring through the speakers in my lab, there is always noise. Silence means your alone and being alone means you're left to your thoughts. Thoughts can bring you to a very dark place, one that I'd really rather not visit right now. Unfortunately it's inevitable that my mind will eventually wander so I decide to reflect on the events that occurred just minutes before.

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Twenty-five minutes earlier.

Steve and I cautiously make our way down the hallway in search of the Red Skull, Justin Hammer, and anyone else we happen to encounter along the way. The area is deathly silent and I'm trying my best not to make a sound, which is quite a feat when you're covered head to toe in a heavy metal suit. Suddenly Cap stops in his tracks. His abrupt halt nearly makes me trip over the super soldier, luckily I was able to catch myself before I sent us both crashing to the ground. He gives me an annoyed look before motioning to a door just ahead of us where a light illuminates the room. Slowly we make our way to the room and Captain America make a move to peek inside. Just before he can take a look the door jolts open, sending light spilling into the previously dark corridor. Instinctively I press myself up against the wall in an attempt to remain unseen. An A.I.M. agent exits the room before turning and heading in the opposite direction, away from us. The door closes and I carefully move away from my hiding spot to look through the clear window that shows the inside of the room. My eyes roam over the area and I soon spot a monitor. The screen is split into three sections but they're too far away for me to make out exactly what's on them. I glance at the Captain.

"Steve there's a computer in there but I can't see what's on it, give me a sec." My companion nods and I return my attention to the task at hand. "J.A.R.V.I.S, show me what's on that screen."

"Will do, sir." I wait a few moments as the A.I makes quick work of the compounds firewalls and other security measures. Within thirty seconds the display is being pulled up on the screen inside my helmet. The scene catches me off guard.

"Oh shit." I breath. Cap's concerned voice fills my ears.

"What is it, Tony?" When I don't respond he repeats himself. "Tony, what's going on?" I turn to him.

"It's us." On the screen is the rest of our team, along with the two of us. There's a section showing Clint and Natasha fights some opposition on the south side of the building. Thor and Bruce are taking on another squadron to the east with Banner looking a little green. Finally it shows Steve and I standing in our current positions outside the room. I quietly relay the information to the man next to me and he frowns. I flip up my face plate and mouth the words "we're being watched" to him before putting it back on to study the screen again. To my surprise Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor have all disappeared. I turn to tell Steve but an alarm cuts me off. It blares loudly in contrast to the silence that originally filled the hallway and I'm about to make a remark when the floor disappears from beneath us. I barely have time to shout before I'm falling down a tube and suddenly I'm on the ground. Without warning an electric shock courses through me and my body seizes up in pain. This continues until I fall into unconsciousness.

* * *

Back to the present.

So that's how I ended up hanging from the ceiling in the middle of an enemy compound with no knowledge of the whereabouts of the rest of my team mates. My suit lies in shattered pieces around me, completely destroyed. A frustrated sigh escapes me as I stare at the mangled remains of my tech, I just built that one. My thoughts are interrupted when the door swings open and Hammer comes sauntering in. He shoots me a smile and comes to a stop a few feet from me.

"Anthony, so nice to see you! Sorry if I'm late, I'd hate to leave you hanging around!" He grins stupidly gesturing at the chains suspending me from the ceiling. I roll my eyes at his lousy attempt at humor.

"I'm glad to see you still haven't found your sense of humor, Justin, but if all you wanted to do was tell a few jokes you could've just called. I'd hate to have to make you come all the way to the headquarters of my multi billion dollar company just to make fun of me because you're jealous." He scowls at me and I smile.

"Believe me, Stark, I'm not jealous. I mean come on without you're famous Iron Man suit, what are you?" I grin widely before answering.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." I just couldn't help myself, the look on his face is priceless. A hard slap lands on my cheek and I frown at the man in front of me. "Now, Hammer, is that any way to treat your guest? Geez where are your manners?" This time it's a punch that connects with my face, but I just smile. He doesn't hit that hard anyway. "Oh and by the way, you owe me about three million dollars to repair the suit that you so hastily tore to shreds. I accept cash or check." I think I might've hit a nerve with that last one because Hammer looks like he's about to explode, oh what an amazing day that would be, and for the first time since he entered the room he's speechless. This is no small victory in my book, the man literally never shuts up. This coming from probably the most talkative Avenger that will ever live but at least I'm interesting when I speak, he kinda just drones on and on about a bunch of random crap. Half the time he literally makes less sense than Thor when he's trying to explain what a Bilgesnipe is to Captain America. After realizing he's not going to get the reaction he wants, Hammer angrily stalks out of the room and slams the door behind him. The smile drops from my face as soon as he leaves the room. My hands have lost pretty much all feeling from the lack of blood flowing to them and my shoulders are starting to cramp from remaining in the same position for so long. My toes are just barely touching the floor so most of my weight is being supported by my arms. A sigh escapes me and I close my eyes, intent on letting exhaustion overtake me. Just before I doze off an anguished scream fills my ears. It takes me a minute to realize that the sound came from the comm. link that is still inside my ear. Another shout pierces the silence and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the pained cries of my team mates.

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 _A/N well that's the end of chapter four I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave one._


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've had volleyball tournaments and such. I've been kept super busy lately and I really haven't had any time to sit down and write no matter how much I want to. I know that y'all probably don't like the late uodates, but they will probably continue until I can get some sense of order in my crazy life. Anyway here's chapter five of cold as ice, I hope you enjoy it. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Five: Hawkeye

My eyes open slowly, I'm not really sure when I closed them. The cold causes my eyes to burn slightly and I blink several times trying to get them accustomed to the temperature. My knees are still pulled to my chest and my legs have become extremely stiff from remaining in the same position for so long. I decide to try and straighten them out but the second I start to move a cramp seizes my right thigh and I grunt in pain. Without thinking I try to reach down rub it with my hand but my attempts are quickly stopped by the chains restraining me. A stinging sensation envelopes my wrists at the movement, they've been rubbed raw by my constant yanking on the chains. Normally I'd already be free of my chains and on my way out the door but because of the freezing situation I'm in my fingers refuse to move half the time, let alone pick a lock. I also can't feel my toes, which isn't a good sign. Hypothermia is starting to set in and I'm trying my best to delay the effects by moving around as much as I can to keep the blood flowing. A shiver courses through me. The movement causes a spike of pain to erupt in my chest and I look down at the knife wound that Trickshot had so graciously caused earlier. It stopped bleeding long ago, the cold temperatures constricted the blood flow to my body and therefore slowed the bleeding, and the dried blood pulls and cracks every time I move. My head aches constantly and my throat burns like fire. I rub my feet together in an effort to try and get some warmth into them but it doesn't do much aside from giving me something to do. The silence of the room is shattered when a scream pierces through the comm. link that is still in my ear. Natasha. I think to myself. The thought of her in pain sends rage flowing through my veins and I struggle against the restraints with newfound strength. Natasha never screams, ever, she's too strong for that. If whatever's happening to her is making her scream I can't even imagine how much pain she must be in. My wrists burn as the cuffs cut deeply into my skin and I can feel blood dripping down my arms from the wounds. A frustrated growl escapes my lips and I jerk against my restraints one last time before letting my arms go limp. Suddenly the door opens and Trickshot comes walking in. I glare at him and he smiles.

"Good to see you too, Clint." A shiver wracks my body but this time it doesn't stop, I can't stop shaking because of the cold. Trickshot looks at me and a maniacal grin spreads across his face. "Are you cold, Clint? You know hypothermia is a big problem when you get cold. It gets pretty nasty really fast. First you'll start to shiver uncontrollably, then you get to the point where you can't feel your fingers or toes. The cold will keep the blood from pumping to most of your extremities, you're fingers, toes, and lips will start to turn blue. Then suddenly you'll stop shivering. You'll think you're getting warmer, when you're actually getting worse. You're body stops shivering because it knows it can't keep you warm, so it focuses on keeping blood flowing to your vital organs. Eventually you'll start to feel hot, you'll want to cool down. After that you'll pass out, you're heart rate will be slow and weak. Finally you're heart just stops and you die." I don't even dignify his speech with an answer. Suddenly a scream echoes through the comms. and I flinch. It's Cap but it's not a pained scream, it's full of sorrow and I can't imagine what he's seeing right now. Trickshot sees my discomfort and grins. "Happy we left your communication links in, Clint. It was my own personal touch, I wanted you to hear your team mates agony. I wanted you to feel their pain and not be able to do anything about it. Speaking of team mates, I always thought you were more of a solo act, especially after how you betrayed your last team."

"I did what was right. All of you were a bunch of criminals."

"You stabbed us in the back!" He snarls at me. "We took you and your brother in and how do you repay us? You turned your back on everyone and left us to become some kind of HERO!"

"I don't regret leaving the circus, I never will. That was by far the smartest choice I ever made in my life. If I'd stayed with you guys I'd probably be dead by now." I glare at the man in front of me.

"You're lucky we didn't kill you when you first came to us. We gave you a chance and you stabbed us in the back. You were one of the best of us until you decided to play hero. "

"I gave up that life a long time ago. I'm not some low life carnie who lied, cheated, stole, and killed because he thought that was the only way he could survive, I'm an Avenger now." Trickshot smiles.

"An Avenger huh? Well what do you think your team mates will think when they find out the truth? That you're nothing but a criminal. They won't trust you, let alone want you to remain a member of their team. I mean come on all you've got is a bow and arrows. They've got a super soldier, a genius in an iron suit, an Asguardian, a Hulk, and a master assassin trained by one of the most feared organizations in Russia. Where do you think that leaves you? You're weak, Barton, the weakest on the team. If it wasn't for you're little red headed friend vouching for you, they'd have no use for an ex carnie turned hero. You are nothing to them, Clint. And you never will be." With that he stalks out of the room and slams the door, leaving me to my thoughts. I try to ignore what he said, but his words echoes through my head over and over again. What if he's right? I mean sure I never miss but what if one day that's not enough? We live in a world where alien invasions and monsters are a normal occurrence, what good is a bow and arrow against the types of threats we'll face in the future? I shake my head. Stop thinking like that! A bow and arrow helped defeat Loki, an Asguardian, and Ultron, a homicidal maniac built by none other than Tony Stark. I sigh.

"Get ahold of yourself, Barton." My command hangs in the air and I let my eyes drift closed. I've soon dozed off, thankful for the escape from my warring thoughts.

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 _A/N well that's it for chapter five! I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry that it's so shirt but, as I said, my life has been super busy and this is all I could accomplish in my shirt amount of free time._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N hey guys! Sorry that it's taken me a while to update, I've had to deal with a BUNCH of stuff lately and I honestly haven't had much time to write. Nevertheless I have enjoyed being able to continue this story even if it has been at a slower pace. Here's chapter six of Cold as Ice. Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my imagination._

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Chapter Six: Captain America

My head aches from the fall I took earlier when the floor suddenly decided to disappear from under my feet. The chains that have me restrained to the wall don't even budge when I pull against them with all of my strength, they must be made of some seriously stout stuff. My wrists are rubbed raw from my constant straining against my bonds and I can feel a small trickle of blood flowing from the wounds down my arms. The walls of my cell are all made of concrete except for the one directly in front of me, it looks smooth but I'm not quite sure what it is. The only opening in the entire room is a reinforced steel door set into the wall to my right. I've been alone in this room for over two hours and I'm starting to wonder what my enemies are hoping to accomplish by leaving by my lonesome. I have an itch on the side of my face and I move to scratch it on my shoulder, when I do my ear rubs against my shoulder and I can feel something inside it. It only takes me a moment to realize what it is, they didn't remove our comm. links. Immediately I try to contact the others.

"This is Captain America, does anybody copy?" I'm met with nothing but static. "I repeat, this is Captain America does anyone hear me?" Still no response. "Somebody answer me." At first the line is quiet but then I hear a voice, it's just above a whisper and I can't really make it out. "I'm gonna need you to speak up." The voice comes over the line again, this time louder, and I can tell that it's Bruce. Even over the comm. link the scientist sounds weak and tired.

"I said I can hear you. Are you hurt?" I almost smile at his question, once a doctor always a doctor.

"I'm alright. What about you?" I can hear a sigh and for a minute I think that he's not going to answer. Eventually though he speaks up.

"I'm mostly intact, just a few bumps and bruises. But they gave me an improved version of their anti-hulk serum. I can't change into the Hulk no matter how hard I try."

"Are you sure it won't wear off when you get mad like it did last time?" I hear a chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Trust me, I'm about as pissed off as a guy can get but its not working. They made some alterations to their original formula and it keeps the Hulk at bay. Anytime I try to transform into the other guy it sends a electric shock through my system that keeps shocking me until I pass out." I can hear his disappointment and I quickly try to divert his attention away from his current situation.

"Do you know anything about the others? Are any of them hurt?"

"I don't know, the last time I saw Thor he was too busy falling through the floor and I haven't got a clue where anyone else is." I open my mouth to speak but I'm cut off when the door to my right suddenly bursts open and the Red Skull comes walking in, a sadistic smile on his face.

"Hello Captain. Did you miss me?"

"Yeah, like a dog misses fleas." I growl at him. The German scowls at me and I can already see the anger seeping into his features. Suddenly his mood shifts and a smile adorns his face. The hair on the back of my neck stands up at the sight and I leans back into the wall slightly.

"Have you run into the Winter Soldier lately?" The randomness of the question catches me off guard and I shake my head in confusion. Red Skull gets quite a bit of amusement out of this and his grin widens. "I can't imagine how hard it must've been. First you had thought you lost him in the war and then suddenly you find him again, only to have him slip through your fingers once again on that train all those years ago. Then he pops up out of nowhere and you think that you've gotten your best friend back, then you realize he has no idea who you are. I mean how many times is he going to die on you? You and I have lost a great many friends since our time in the war, well you more so than me. All of the Howling Commandos are long since gone, the woman you loved is dying, and your best friend, your only friend, from the war barely remembers who you are. And now your new team is suffering at the hands of your greatest enemy. Tell me, Captain, how does it feel? How much pain does it cause you to know that your team mates are being tortured and there's nothing you can do about it?" I say nothing, instead I just stare at the red skinned man in front of me. The Skull doesn't appreciate my silence and a lard slap lands on my cheek, barely even fazing me. He quickly regains his composure. "It must take a lot of trust to accomplish what the six of you have been able to achieve. Taking down an entire alien army, defeating a maniac A.I. that was created by none other than the genius Tony Stark, none of those are easy feats. Even I must admit that it is somewhat impressive. But how much trust do you think your team is going to have left in each other after your orders sent all of them straight into a trap?" After his last statement the wall directly across from me lights up, showing camera feeds from five different places. My breath catches in my throat when I realize just what it is that I'm seeing. My teammates are all chained up in musty, concrete cells. On the first section of the footage Bruce sits with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head bowed. Just to the left Tony hangs from the ceiling by his arms, blood running down his face from a gnash on his forehead. Next is Thor who simply sits with his head turned to the side, staring into space. My eyes land on Natasha and I can tell she's not in great shape. There's blood flowing from several wounds across her legs and arms along with a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lastly my eyes travel to Clint. His lips are blue and I can tell that he's shaking, there's also an arrow carved into his chest and he's unconscious. I look away, unable to see my friends in pain any longer. Anger boils in me and I snarl at Schmidt.

"When I get out of here I'm going to kill you." The German doesn't even flinch.

"You may want to refrain from making threats when I hold the lives of your friends in my hands." My eyes narrow into slits.

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise." My captor glares at me for a long moment before stalking out of the room and slams the heavy steel door behind him. My vision slowly wanders back to the wall/screen in front of me and there's a pang of guilt in my chest. "I never should of had us split up. If we had just stuck together we might not be in this position." I say to the empty space in front of me. The statement hangs in the air for a long moment before slowly dying out in the quiet room. I take a deep breath and let my eyes flutter closed. I refuse to open them because the first thing I'll see is my friends in pain, all because of my actions.

* * *

It's been maybe an hour when the door bursts open. Light pours into the dark room and I have to squint in order to adjust to the sudden brightness. The Red Skull comes waltzing in before coming to a stop about three feet in front of me. He kneels down so we're eye level with each other. "It's your lucky day, Captain. It's time to go see your friends."

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 _A/N well that's it for chapter six! I really hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it's kinda short, but it's all I can do with the time I have. Again reviews are welcome and I'd really appreciate it if you would leave one. I'm Looking forward to writing the next chapter and I will get it posted as soon as I possibly can._


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys! I finally finished up putting the finishing touches on this chapter and I'm really happy with how it came out. It's longer than the other chapters, but not too much. I hope you enjoy it. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Seven: Black Widow

A hard slap lands across my cheek with such force that is sends my head flinging to the side. A stinging sensation envelopes the side of my face and I glare at the woman in front of me. Madame B stands just a few feet from me, a scowl adorning her slightly wrinkled features. Blood leaks from a gun shot wound in my thigh that I'd received maybe fifteen minutes earlier and it also flows from several deep cuts across my arms and legs. My hands are chained together above my head and I'm currently sitting against the wall directly in front of my assailant. My ribs ache and I can already tell that at least two are bruised, luckily they're not broken. A boot clad foot suddenly comes slamming down on top of my injured leg and I grit my teeth, compartmentalizing the pain and shoving it down deep so that I don't show any emotion. Unfortunately even just my slight grimace is enough for my former teacher. She gives me a disapproving looks and adds a little tsk tsk for emphasis.

"Your time with the Avengers has made you weak Natalia. You never would've showed your pain when you worked for me." I shake my head.

"That's not my name." She offers an almost sympathetic smile and kneels down so that we're now eye level.

"Oh but it is Mrs. Romanova. You've tried so hard to distance yourself from your past but honestly that's the most impressive thing about you. Without my training you'd be nothing more than another pretty face, another common girl in the crowd of lost souls that we call humanity. All you are is a heartless assassin, Natalia, and that's all you'll ever be. Well mostly heartless, except for when it comes to that circus freak you call a partner. Tell me, when did you become so soft? So caring and trustworthy or, dare I say it, compassionate?" I do nothing but keep holding her questioning gaze with an icy glare. She stands and walks in a slow circle around the small room. Suddenly she stops and addresses me. "You and I are no different you know. In fact, we're exactly the same." Her statement causes anger to boil over inside me.

"I'm nothing like you." I spit out. She simply smiles at me.

"That's where you're wrong dear. You and I are, how do Americans say it, cut from the same cloth. You're Russian, I'm Russian. You kill, I kill. The only real difference is that you betrayed us, you abandoned your training and decided that you wanted to become some sort of hero." She shakes her head disapprovingly.

"Believe me, I'm no hero." Madame B nods her head in agreement.

"Trust me, I never thought of you as a hero. After all what kind of person would ever believe that a former member of the Red Room could ever be more than an assassin? You are no exception, Natalia. You're nothing more than a cold blooded killer, a murderer, and there's nothing you can do to change that. You think that if you do enough good deeds and wipe the red from your ledger that it will make up for all of the innocent blood you spilled in the past, but you're wrong. You can't change who you are. Those lives that you took will be with you forever no matter how much you think you've gotten rid of them. They're skeletons in your closet and, let me tell you, your closet is overflowing my dear. Red gushes from your ledger. All you ever do is follow orders. You're nothing more than a puppet controlled by her strings." I glare at the woman in front of me and she returns my gaze with her own icy intensity. Suddenly she smiles. "How about we see how the rest of the puppets are doing?" Without warning six guards come in and surround me. One of them moves to unchain my hands and Madame B speaks up. "Don't do anything you'd regret, Romanova, I would hate to have to cause your team mates any more pain than I have to. Reluctantly I listen to her command and when they release my restraints I don't struggle, in my current state I don't think I could escape without being shot anyway. I'm hauled to my feet and am soon being drug down the hallway, careful to keep most of the weight off of my injured leg. Eventually we're standing outside of a door that's looks suspiciously like the one that kept me confined in my cell only minutes before. One of the guards reaches out and opens it before I'm shoved inside the room. The door slams behind me and I'm met with a blast of freezing cold air. I immediately turn to look at the contents of the room. My breath catches in my throat when I see the space's other occupant. Clint is shackled to the wall across from me looking much worse than when I'd seen him last. His lips are blue and he's shivering violently. There's a deep cut in the shape of an arrow in his chest, his wrists are rubbed raw, and his lip is busted. It by far not the worst shape I've ever found him in, but it's definitely not the best either. I rush over to him and drop down onto my knees. My hand reaches out to touch his face and I flinch back when my fingers touch his cold, clammy skin. A feeling of panic rises in me and I tap his cheek to try and wake him. No response.

"Clint." I say tapping his face a little harder. "Clint!" For a few agonizing moments he doesn't answer me. Then, much to my relief, an unintelligible mumble passes through his lips and the smallest hint of a smile adorns my face. He starts to struggle suddenly and I place my hands on his shoulders. "Hey, Barton, you're ok. It's me Tasha, open your eyes for me ok." My partners eyelids sluggishly flutter open and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"T-tasha?" His words come out slurred and it worries me. I take one look at his shivering form and, now that I'm not focused on whether or not he's actually alive, I can tell he has hypothermia. S.H.I.E.L.D required agents to know the basic treatment for hypothermia and I thank them for that now. My training kicks in and I try to recall the steps we were taught. I quickly ask the man in front of me.

"Clint, what's eight times nine?" (A/N I know this seems random, but it is actually something you do to determine the severity of hypothermia A/N) His eyes screw shut and I can literally see the gears turning inside his head. After about a minute and a half he shakes his head.

"I don't know." I nod slowly.

"Can you stop shivering?" Again he shakes his head. I let out a sigh. He's got moderate hypothermia, freaking fantastic. I've got to get him warm before it becomes any more severe. I move over next to him and wrap my arms around him in an attempt to warm him up.

"T-t-thanks." He stutters out between shivers. I nod. It's at that moment that Trickshot and Madame B enter the room.

"Aww. Isn't that sweet." Trickshot snarls. "Get up." He draws an arrow and points it at me. I shake my head defiantly, refusing to leave my partner's side. It's only when he aims his bow at Clint that I reluctantly stand to my feet. As soon as I do this three guards come in and aim their weapons at me, although they're making sure that they're standing out of my reach. When he's sure I won't be going anywhere Trickshot walks over to Clint and unshackles his hands. The second Barton's arms are free they fall limply at his side, this worries me. On instinct he wraps his arms around his sides in an attempt to warm himself up, the only other archer in the room takes advantage of his vulnerability. Trickshot kicks Clint in the ribs, sending him falling to the floor and wheezing. An enraged shout escapes me and I make a move to advance towards my friend's assailant. Before I can get near him he's once again aiming an arrow towards Clint and I have no choice but to retreat. All I can do is watch as another kick connects with his stomach. After taking a few more hits Clint's form lies on the floor, unmoving. I stand there for several seconds waiting for him to make some sort of movement. When he remains still Trickshot walks over to him and kneels by his side. My partner's eyes snap open and, with all the strength he can muster, punches the man right square in the face. The villain goes sprawling across the floor and a small smile lights up Clint's face, it's then that I notice that he's stopped shivering. Oh no, that's not good. He hasn't gotten any warmer so that means he's starting to enter the last few stages of hypothermia, I've got to get him somewhere warm and fast. Suddenly Barton starts coughing violently and I rush to his side. I place my hands on his shoulders and wait for it to pass. When it does Trickshot suddenly appears and has a gun pressed to the back of my skull. Instead of ordering me away from my partner, he snarls at me.

"Get him up." I hesitate, unsure of what's going on. "Now!" Not wanting to end up with a bullet in my brain, I do as he says. I put one of Clint's arms around my shoulders and begin to haul him to his feet. He isn't completely dead weight, he's still functioning enough to stand, but it still isn't easy to get him to his feet and I do my best to keep most of the weight off of my injured leg. It immediately starts to get colder now that Barton is leaning against me, there's barely any heat coming off him. Once we're both somewhat steady Trickshot motions for us to exit through the door, reluctantly we do. Two of the guards go in front of us while Trickshot, Madame B, and the rest are following us from behind, there's too many and they're too spread out to deal with in our current state. They lead us down a series of hallways and we've been walking a good while before I feel Clint weakening. He's breathing heavily and I can tell he's on the verge of blacking out. Immediately I stop walking to try and give him a short reprieve but our enemy's having none of it. "Keep moving." I feel a gun barrel being pressed into my back but I don't move. A guard shoves us forward and before I can do anything my partner goes crashing to the ground, unconscious. Immediately I drop down next to him and glare at the group.

"He's suffering from hypothermia and most of his body still hasn't gotten full circulation back yet. The blood has just started to pump to his arms and legs again, he can barely walk. If you keep him going like this, you will kill him." This causes Trickshot to frown before nodding his head and motion to one of his men.

"Fine." The man grabs Clint and throws him over his shoulder roughly before proceeding to make his way down the hall. I throw one more icy glare at the man in front of me before following the guy carrying my partner. After another few minutes of limping along in silence we reach a large cell, but this one is different. Instead of thick concrete walls there's only what looks like jail cell bars and I stare at it puzzled, how do they expect to hold us in nothing more than a common jail cell? Then I see the green magic surrounding the area and it becomes clear. The guard carrying Clint stops short directly in front of the cell and I follow his lead. It's at that moment that I realize we're not alone. The rest of the Avengers are all inside the jail cell. Suddenly a hole appears in the magic surrounding the room and I'm shoved through where I land on my face in the dirt that covers the floor. Clint in tossed in after me and I flinch when his body collides with the ground making a loud thud. Trickshot and Madame B offer us one last smile before walking back down the way we came. The second they're gone I dash to my partner's side and check for a pulse. I let out a sigh when I finally find one. Steve quickly comes to kneel down next to me.

"Natasha, are you alright? What happened?" I momentarily turn my attention away from Clint to address Steve.

"I'm fine, Clint's suffering from hypothermia." Upon hearing about my partner's dilemma, Thor walks over and smiles.

"Fear not, lady Natasha, I will take care of Clint Barton while the Captain assesses your injuries." The big Asguardian seats himself by the archer's side and swiftly removes his cape before laying it on top of him like a blanket. Although he's still shivering, I can tell that Clint is grateful for the sudden warmth. Satisfied with Thor's efforts I turn to Steve, who immediately begins to check me over for injuries. Steve frowns at me.

"Widow, you are definitely not fine. There's a gun shot wound in your leg and if we don't do something hing about it you could bleed out or it could get infected." Cap's mother henning is really starting to get on my nerves and I roll my eyes.

"Relax Steve, it's nothing I have t deal with before." His frown deepens and the man gives me one of his angry leader looks to which I scoff. "You really need to work on that glare, Steve." It's his turn to roll his eyes as he tears a piece of fabric off of his uniform and ties it around my leg. "Happy now?" He nods and I turn away from him and scoot back over to where my partner lies. On instinct I lay a hand on his arm and let out a sigh. Steve automatically notices my concern.

"He's gonna be ok Natasha." A frown adorns my face at his optimism and I adjust my position so that I'm once again looking at him.

"That's just the thing. When you live in a world filled with monsters and magic, you only fear the big things. You forget the little things, the human things. And the thing is that we're all human, we all have weakness. You think your biggest concern is being killed by a raging alien army when in reality you could easily meet your end by a bullet. You make the smallest mistake and that's it, you're done. I had started to think Clint was invincible, he survived Asguardian mind control for pete's sake, but then in an instant I'm reminded that anything can happen. My partner literally almost died from the cold. You neglect to protect yourself against things like that, you forget that the cold is just as dangerous as any crazed super villain that we meet. We've been so naive and now we're facing the consequences." Steve shakes his head at me and goes to respond but I shake my head, causing him to fall silent. I turn my back on him and look down at Clint, the constant rise and fall of his chest is the only comfort in the cell that we are currently in. I close my eyes and out my hand over his heart, letting the steady beat of it lull me into a sense of peace.

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 _Well thats it for chapter seven. Like it? I hope so. Once again I'd like to say that I'm not sure when I'll update next, but I'll try to make it soon. Reviews are welcome, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave one. Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read this story, it means a lot. Until the next chapter!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello guys! I'm ssssoooooo sorry for such a long update! I've tried my best to write as much as I can but I'm neck deep in school work and sports practices/games. I was so relieved when I was able to actually sit down and write again because, believe me, I love writing and I especially love writing this story. Again sorry for the long update and I present to you chapter eight!_

 _disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination_

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Chapter Eight: Hawkeye

It's hot, like sitting in a truck with no air conditioning in the middle of a Texas summer hot. "Well anything's better than the cold." I think to myself. The events of the past few hours come crashing back to me in an instant and my eyes fly open. I jolt up into a sitting position, nearly knocking Nat to the ground in the process. A searing pain rips through my chest and my hand flies over the injured area. Quickly I recover and I stare at the red head in confusion for a minute before shaking my head.

"Nat? What happened?" She glances towards the door of our jail like cell and I notice the green magic surrounding us. The almost fluorescent color snakes around each bar individually like a flame and in the back of my mind I'm afraid to touch it in fear of getting burned. My attention is brought back to the woman in front of me when she suddenly starts speaking.

"What's the last thing you remember?" I squint my eyes in concentration and finally recall the events that lead to me being released from my earlier prison.

"I remember walking down the hallway with you and getting dizzy." I pause trying to recollect any other information. "After that everything goes blank." She nods slowly.

"Trickshot and Loki brought us here where the others were already waiting." It's at that moment that I notice the rest of the Avengers are huddled around us. They all look to be in pretty rough shape. Cap and Thor have got this haunted look in their eyes and refuse to look me in the eye, Tony's scuffed up with deep gnashes scattered across his torso and arms, Bruce looks pretty fragile with dark circles under his eyes and an assortment of purple bruises. Finally my eyes land on Natasha. She has a gunshot wound in her right thigh along with other gnashes and cuts littering her arms and face, one particularly nasty cut by her hairline is seeping blood down her face and I'm tempted to reach out and wipe it away, but I restrain myself. It takes me a minute to realize that my partner is still talking. "They left right after they dumped you and I here and they haven't come back yet. That was nearly sixteen hours ago." I'm taken aback by her last statement. Every time we've ever encountered these specific group of criminals we've never been left alone for more than four or so hours, if they haven't made another appearance yet it probably means they won't be coming back anytime soon. Natasha sees the gears turning in my head and I know she can tell exactly what I'm thinking. She nods. Dread fills me as I think of the magnitude of problems that this could cause for us. With one glance at my companions I know that they are all thinking the same thing. Tony speaks everyone's thoughts.

"They're leaving us here to die of dehydration, or at least nearly die of dehydration." His words are the last straw for Steve, who stands up and without warning goes barreling into the cell bars. He pounds on the metal trying to break through and I can feel the anger coming off of him in waves. At first no one moves, we're all too stunned at the Captain's sudden violence. Finally my mind snaps back to reality and I jump to my feet, which thankfully will move now that the blood has started to flow again. I reach out and grab hold of his arm trying to stop his onslaught on the cell bars to keep him form injuring himself further.

"Cap! Cap stop!" My pleas land on deaf ears and he continues to wail on the metal. Blood seeps from his knuckles and he's already broken one of his fingers. The others have joined me in trying to subdue him and Thor is finally able to pull him away from his attack. The man struggles against him and Thor frowns. "Steve, calm down! Steve!" At long last my voice reaches his ears and he stops fighting. I watch as all the energy leaves him and he goes limp. I motion towards Thor and the Asguardian release him before taking a step back, startled. Cap's breath is coming out in harsh gasps and he's shaking violently. Quickly I kneel down in front of him and place my hand on his shoulder. "Steve." At first he doesn't look up, he just continues staring at the floor. "Steve." I repeat. The soldier lifts his head.

"It's all my fault." His voice is such a quiet whisper that I'm the only one who hears it. I stare at him, dumbfounded, and mumble the only word that manages to come to my mind.

"What?" He clenches his jaw and grinds his teeth before answering.

"It's my fault that we're here. I should've known that they would've had traps set up, I should've known they'd be expecting us. If I had been a better leader y'all never would've ended up in this position." I shake my head and roll my eyes.

"Enough with this pity party stuff. You should've been a better leader, I should've been more vigilant, every one of us could've done something different and it wouldn't of changed a thing. I'm sick of hearing my team mates blame themselves for things that our enemies set up for us. It's none of our faults. The only people responsible are the ones who set this entire trap up. We had nothing to do with this. You had nothing to do with this. Got it?" My speech immediately seems to sober him up and he nods. The room is stunned into silence after our statements and for a long moment no one speaks. Bruce is the first to take action as he kneels down beside Steve and begins to examine his hands. Blood seeps from cuts on his knuckles caused by the rough metal bars. The red liquid flows down his fingertips where it drips off the tips and onto the ground. Gently the doctor takes Steve's injured appendages into his hands and carefully gauges the severity of his wounds. Without pausing Bruce rips two strips of fabric from his shirt and wraps the fabric around Cap's hands, successfully stopping the bleeding. The super soldier nods gratefully at the man in front of him and the doctor nods. With that taken care of I scoot back slightly so that I'm able to lean against the wall. The structure provides much needed support to my tired body and I let out a sigh. Natasha comes to my side and plants herself down next to me. She places a gentle hand on my thigh and I put my hand on top of hers.

"Are you ok?" Her simple question carries so much weight in a situation like this. What can you say to that when you and your closest friends, really your only friends, are trapped in the middle of an empty compound waiting for them to either come back and finish you off or die of dehydration? I don't relay this to her of course, I simply put on my emotionless mask before answering.

"I'm fine." She scoffs at me.

"You may be able to convince other people of that, Clint, but I'm your partner and you know you can't lie to me." I don't answer her, I choose to close my eyes instead and I'm relieved when she drops the subject. My partner shifts her weight slightly so that she's now leaning against me as well as the wall. I'm grateful for the comfort this gives me. When you end up in situations like this often, as we spies do, it's easy to overlook just how much having someone there with you gives you strength. It gives me hope. Hope that no matter how bad things get in the next few hours I won't have to face it alone. I reposition my hand so that it's no longer resting on top of her's, but intertwined with it. She squeezes my hand softly and I return the gesture. It's in this moment that I fall asleep, my partner by my side, a moment of peace in this hellhole of a place.

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 _Well that's it for chapter nine of Cold as Ice I hope you enjoyed it! Once again I'd like to apologize for how long it's taken me to update. Unfortunately I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to update will be and I can't promise that it will be any soon. Regardless of that I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me through this story despite the long wait. I would really appreciate some reviews. Thank you_


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey guys! Sorry that it's taking to long for me to update, I'm doing my best. I've been super busy but I am trying to get these chapters out as fast as I can. Thanks for taking the time to read this story and I present to you chapter nine. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Nine: Hawkeye

Two days. That's how long the six of us have sat in this room with no food or water. Couple that with the time we spent in our individual cells and it turns out that we've been captured for nearly sixty-eight hours. The average person can survive three to five days without water and I have a feeling we're running out of time.

Bruce's body was the first to start giving out. He has the least amount of experience in this type of situation and he also has the Hulk to contend with which not only causes emotional turmoil, but physical as well. Natasha and I have training to deal with these types of things, Tony's already been through it before, Steve's a super soldier, and Thor is an Asguardian so it makes sense that Bruce would be the first to start to weaken. It all started about five hours ago; Natasha had been having a short conversation with Banner and he was having trouble speaking. She was immediately concerned and, when she asked him to open his mouth, found that his tongue was swollen. He was also suffering from extreme thirst and he became sluggish. It's slowly gotten worse since then. Bruce became extremely disoriented and confused, so much so that he often forgot where we were and had to be reminded. Now he is sitting against the wall away from everyone else, he said he needed some time to try and clear his head. I'm starting to get really worried. The doctor has become so lethargic that he nearly refuses to move from his current position. Slowly, I make my way over to him and take my spot by his side. It's quiet for a few moments and I adjust the bandage made from Thor's cape that's around my chest, the Asguardian had insisted that I needed it more than him. I remain silent for just a second more before I address Dr. Banner.

"How are you feeling, Bruce?" The man turns to me and whispers through dry, cracked lips.

" 'm okay." I can hear the tiredness of his voice and I can tell it's becoming more and more difficult to form words. I decide not to push the matter and just nod my head in agreement. Suddenly the magic starts to disappear from around the door, it's green tendrils crawling backwards as if it's alive. A frown adorns my face when I see who it is entering the room. The Red Skull calmly walks through the entrance of our prison. The taunt, red skin of his mouth pulls back into a sadistic smile and I have to resist the urge to gag. The Nazi notices my discomfort and his grin only widens. The silence that had overtaken the room when he entered is quickly shattered by his thick German accent.

"Hello Avengers. I hope you all are enjoying your stay."

"What do you want Schmidt?" Captain America practically growls at the old war criminal. The Skull turns towards our leader and glares at him.

"What do I want?" His rhetorical question hangs in the air for only a moment before he's speaking once again. "I want you to suffer!" He screams in anger and, before anyone has time to react, throws some sort of device at Steve. It looks almost like a garrote with spikes sticking out of the length of the wire. The weapon wraps itself around Rogers legs and begins to tighten, the spikes digging into the flesh of his calves. Without hesitation I leap up from my spot next to Bruce and launch myself at Red Skull. Much to my advantage, the villain had been paying too much attention to Cap to counter my attack, by the time he noticed me it was already too late. As soon as I'm within range I throw a hard right hook which connects with his jaw. I was expecting the blow to sting a little, but the pain I feel in my hand when my fist hits his face is unbelievable, I can already tell that it fractured two of my fingers. The worst part is that my opponent barely even reacted to the punch. It catches my by surprise and my split second of hesitation gives him just the opportunity he needs. The man comes barreling towards me and hits my straight in the chest, knocking the wind out of me and it causes me to fall to the ground. My attacker tries to come at me again while I'm on the floor but I roll out of the way just before his next punch would've hit me in the face. I use the momentum of my roll to propel myself back to my feet and I leap into the air before wrapping my arms around the Red Skull's neck in a chokehold. Immediately he tries to pry my hands away from around his neck but quickly changes tactics and runs backwards so that I'm slammed hard into the cell bars. A yell of pain escapes me and I try desperately to keep my hold on his windpipe. One, two, three more times I'm thrown into the walls and I can't hold on any longer. My grip gives out and I fall to the ground. Before I have time to recover I'm being lifted into the air and thrown across the room where I land in a heap on the floor. A pained yell captures my attention and I turn to see Natasha and Steve trying to free his legs from their trap, the metal has torn down deep into Cap's calves and I can see the pain written across his face. I snap back to my current situation when I boot clad foot comes flying towards my head. On instinct I throw myself out of the way and go to sweep Skull's feet out from underneath him. Much to my relief it works and he goes crashing to the ground. Using the short reprieve to my advantage I once again regain my footing and ready myself for another attack. However, before I can do anything, a wave of dizziness overtakes me and I start to have trouble standing. The room is spinning so much that I don't even see the red fist flying towards me until it's connecting with my jaw. My head snaps to the side from the force and I collapse onto the floor. A quick survey of my surroundings shows that Thor, Bruce, and Tony are all restrained by the green magic that encases our prison and to the right of them I can see Nat finally has Steve wrestled free of the contraption that the Red Skull threw at him earlier. I look up and see the German making his way over to them and anger surges through me. Using all of the strength that I have left I hall myself to my feet. My body sways unsteadily for a moment and I have to fight the urge to throw up. I ignore my discomfort and throw myself at my opponent one last time. Unfortunately, due to my weakened state, he's able to counter my attack and he grabs me by the throat. The villain lifts me up off of the ground and I pry at his hands in a desperate attempt to get air. I'm on the verge of blacking out when he finally releases me and I drop like a stone. I lie there gasping for air and I hear his voice in my ear.

"You're lucky it's not my job to kill you. Otherwise your life would've ended much earlier than you would've liked." And with that he stands up and walks out the door, the exit once again being covered in green magic. The others have been released from the magic's grasp and are now walking over to me, well except for Steve who's being half drug by Thor. Natasha is the first to reach my side.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Taking on a super soldier by yourself, are you insane?!" Her reprimands don't affect me much because I know she would've done the same thing had she been put in my position. I lift my hand and place it on her shoulder.

"Quit worrying so much Tasha. I'm fine. See." I say making gesturing to myself with a mock smile on my face. She doesn't appreciate my attempt at humor and I roll my eyes before trying to sit up. The second I do, a fiery pain erupts in my chest and I once again become dizzy. I bring a hand to my head and don't even have time to try and stop myself before I start falling backwards. A pair of arms catches me and I'm lowered gently to the ground. A groan escapes me and I squeeze my eyes shut to try and ward off the discomfort. Natasha says something and I can feel the makeshift bandage being removed from my torso. A loud curse echoes through the room and I know something's wrong. My eyes reopen and I divert my gaze to my wounded chest that is apparently the center of attention at the moment. With one glance I know exactly why. The skin around the injury is bright red and swollen with yellow pus draining from the injury. Nat reaches out and touches my forehead.

"Damn." I already know what she's going to say so she turns to the others. "The wound's infected and I have no way of treating it. Which means we need to get of here soon."

"How soon?" Tony asks.

"If he stays still and doesn't over exert himself, a day and a half. If he gets into another fight, about eighteen hours." Steve is the one to comment.

"Well I guess we'd better come up with a plan and soon."

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 _Well that's it for chapter nine! I hope you enjoyed it! I once again want to apologize for all of these long updates. Thank you for anyone who's taken the time to read this story! Reviews are welcome and appreciated._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey guys! I'm baaaaccccckkkk! I'm so sorry for such a long long long update, my life has gotten insane lately! I've been neck deep in school work and practice and I've literally had no free time and unfortunately this story got put on the back burner. I'm going to try and update again soon, but no promises. Without further ado here's chapter ten of Cold As Ice!_

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Chapter Ten: Black Widow

It's been about six hours since the Red Skull decided to pay us a visit and things have gone from bad to worse. It's been three days and one hour since we've been captured and everyone has become incredibly weak, even Steve and Thor have shown signs of severe dehydration. Bruce is barely conscious and he hasn't spoken for hours, Clint is in pretty bad shape also and he tries to get up and move around but I don't let him, he's so weak that all he can do is mumble something in resistance. Luckily he still extremely aware and can hold a coherent conversation, much to the contrary of Banner. The lack of water started to get to me a while ago; my skin is extremely dry and cool to the touch and my thirst is nearly unbearable. Our unfortunate situation has done a number on all of us and I'm not sure how much longer any of us will last. Which is exactly why Tony's plan has to work. Unbeknownst to our enemies, they accidentally didn't remove all of the pieces of his suit. The billionaire had pulled a very valuable part off of it whenever he fell down the chute all those days ago and hid it in his jeans. The part that he'd taken was a device that he'd invented that, when placed next to a power source of any kind, would short out all of the electronics and cause a small concussive blast that would disable anyone within fifty feet after a ten second delay. He assured us that we'd be completely safe behind the walls of our cell. It was, in his words, "a very awesome invention created by yours truly to help save the world". Unfortunately it was only a prototype and, when removed from the suit, it takes twenty-two hours to become fully operational. Even though the device has been fully charged for some time now, we haven't had the chance to plug it into a source of power since we've been stuck in here. That and the fact that almost everyone's become too weak to fight our way out of here. I glance over at Clint, who's lying on the ground in a fitful sleep. It hurts me to see him like this, to see any of them like this. I've always seen them as being so strong and unbeatable, but now as I look at my friends in their weakened state; I can do nothing but worry. They look vulnerable, they look broken. If there's one thing that I've learned from my years of being an agent it's that being vulnerable means being beaten, being killed, and right now I'm afraid that that is a very real possibility. We've been trapped here for over seventy-two hours with no food or water and countless injuries; if our enemies decided that it was time for our lives to end, that'd be the end of it. We'd be dead in a heartbeat. We need to do something and we need to do it now, before it's too late. As if on cue, I hear something dripping. I jump to my feet, which is a really bad decision due to my lack of nourishment and I'm temporarily seeing spots. When my discomfort subsides I search for the source of the sound and I cry out in relief when I see a trickle of water flowing from a crack in the wall. Steve turns to me after my outburst and he too sees the water. Immediately he gets everyone else's attention and soon the six of us are huddled around the small stream. Cap reaches out to collect some of the liquid, when Tony speaks up.

"Are you sure that's safe to drink, I mean we've got no clue where it's coming from." Always the voice of reason. Unfortunately we don't have time for reason and logic. Steve voices my thoughts.

"Tony we don't have a choice, if we don't get water soon we'll die. And as far as I can tell this is the only option we have." Reluctantly Stark nods. Captain America once again reaches out, letting the water collect in his palm before emptying it into Bruce's mouth, who was literally too weak to even lift his hand. There's an immediate effect on the man and I can see the doctor's eyes light up as soon as the liquid has entered his system. The rest of us begin taking turns getting a drink and soon all of us have had our fill. After spending so much time without water I can literally feel my strength returning the second I swallow it. I can see that it's had the same effect on the others as well. Now that we've at least quenched our thirst, we need to get out of here before another problem surfaces. Almost on cue, I hear a noise by the door and I glance over at Tony, who quickly opens his palm to reveal the device. I watch as he hands it to Thor and the Asguardian tucks it into his pocket while he waits for the right opportunity to strike. Clint has picked up on our plan and glances at me, eyes questioning. "Are you sure about this?" His silent inquiry goes completely unnoticed by the others and I'm thankful for that, because quite honestly I'm not sure whether this is going to work or not. My reservations aside, I have faith in Tony and proceed to express my faith to Clint with a nod. He sees right through my lie and frowns. He opens his mouth to speak but before he gets the chance to get any words out, Trickshot comes sauntering. Barton's muscles automatically tense as if all his energy has returned to him at the sight of his enemy. The villain notices his apprehension and smiles.

"Excited to see me Clint? Well I guess it's a shame that I'm going to have to kill you soon then."

"You'd be doing me a favor, it'd save me from having to see your ugly face every day. Even with the mask on your ugly mug could crack a mirror, or four." My partner snickers at the man and, in true Barton fashion, spits on Trickshot's shoes. An angry growl escapes the intruder's threat and, before I can stop him, kicks Clint in the side. He slumps down slightly before staring right back at the villain, a small chuckle slips past his lips.

"Still worth it." Unknown to our captor, Thor had chosen to use Clint's encounter as a distraction and the blonde Asguardian has slipped quietly out the cell, unnoticed. That is, until Red Skull's shout of rage could be heard throughout the entire compound. The unexpected noise catches Trickshot off guard and I decide to take advantage of his disorientation and make my move. I launch myself at the man, quickly wrapping my arms around his neck in a chokehold. The other Avengers jump into action and begin fighting off anyone who tries to enter the small cell. Suddenly Thor comes careening in through the door and before anyone can say a word he shouts.

"Everybody get down!" Not needing to be told twice, I dive onto the floor and throw my arms over my head. No sooner had I done this than the entire wall explodes, sending chunks of concrete flying in all directions. After the dust settled, all is silent. I slowly sit up, being careful not to hit any particularly unstable looking pieces of the wall. I blink a few times to clear the dust from my eyes and I turn to see Tony, Steve, Thor, and Bruce all crawling out from underneath the rubble. We stare at each other in silence for a few moments. A cough sounds behind me and I turn just in time to see Clint scooting out from under some debris.

"A small concussive blast huh? What happened to 'we'll all be safe behind the cell walls'?" The archer says in mock annoyance, but I can see the smile creeping into his features. He's happy that we're alive, as he should be. My thoughts are interrupted by Steve's voice echoing throughout the room.

"We need to get moving before any of them regain consciousness and come looking for us." The rest of us nod and begin to walk through the gaping hole in the wall that used to be the door. The carnage that awaits us in the hallway is nothing short of incredible. There's debris everywhere and the only visible evidence of people are random body parts sticking out from under the concrete. We quickly divert our gaze away from the scene and take off in the other direction to where, we hope, the exit is. I don't even glance back at the now demolished cell that only moments ago was our prison.

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 _Well that's it for Chapter Ten. I really hope you enjoyed it! Again I'd like to apologize for the long update and that I'll try and update again soon. Reviews are welcome and (in fact I'd really appreciate it) Thank you so much for reading this story._


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey Guys! So I decided that since I have taken such a crazy long time to update recently that I'd spend every waking moment of my spare time working on this story. No promises that the next update will be this fast, but I'll try my very best to get it out soon. But enough of that. Here's chapter Eleven. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Eleven: Hawkeye

As we make our way down the dim hallway of our enemies' compound I keep a close eye on my team mates and our surroundings, prepared for an attack at any moment. Every crunch of gravel under our feet sends my senses into overdrive and all of my muscles tense at the sound. My mind reels from the events of the past three and a half days and I keep waiting for someone to jump out and attack us. I feel like we're being watched constantly. The farther we walk, the worse the feeling gets. By the time we turn into the sixth hallway, it's become so intense that I can barely contain my anxiety. I see something move in the corner of my eye and I whirl in its direction. All that meets my gaze is the shadow cast by the light that illuminates our path. Natasha, who had been walking directly in front of me, notices my sudden absence and turns to face me.

"Clint, what is it?" There's an edge in her voice that I've only heard on a few occasions, and on all of those occasions we always ended up nearly dying.

"Something's following us." She immediately settles into a fighting stance, ready for a fight.

"Do you know what it is?" Honestly I have no clue but before I get the chance to tell her that, a scraping sound draws all of our attention to the right. I can just barely see a figure in the darkness where it currently stands. Thor, not know for his patience, steps out in front of the group.

"Show yourself creature!" I'm expecting an attack to follow the Asguardian's commands, what I don't expect is the inhumane growl that is suddenly ripping through the hallway. The figure in the shadows slowly starts to step out into the light. My eyebrows knit together in confusion when I see what it is. A man is standing a mere fifteen feet from me, his blue skin nearly glowing in the dim light. Armor covers of his skin and there's a helmet placed firmly on his head. The intruder is massive, he even towers over Thor and the staff he carries looks like it could take down even an Asguardian in one blow. He glares at me with pure hatred in his eyes, their sapphire irises alight with anger. I glance over at Thor, who's eyes are wide with shock.

"He's gone absolutely mad." I'm puzzled at his response.

"Who has?" I ask. For a minute I don't get an answer. "Thor, what is that thing." He finally seems to snap out of his daze.

"He is a Kree."

"In case you haven't noticed, Thor, the rest of us are from earth and don't have quite as extensive knowledge of other species as you. So, care to explain?" I address my friend quickly, my eyes never leaving our new guest. Thor finally gains enough coherent thought to give me an actual answer.

"The Kree are an alien race that reside on a planet called Hala. They haven't intervened with humans in years." It's at that exact moment that the Kree decides to attack. The behemoth launches himself at Thor with lightning speed and plows him straight into a wall. The God of Thunder smashes through the concrete and only has a split second to recover before the creature is upon him again. The Kree swings his staff in a wide arc, aiming for Thor's head but my friend ducks just in time to avoid having his brains scrambled. Steve suddenly joins the fray and wraps his arms around the other man's throat trying to cut off his breathing. All this does is make him angry and he promptly grabs the Captain and hurls him across the room with a strength I've never seen before. The intruder heads towards where Cap lay and while he's distracted I run to Thor who's just now standing up.

"How is this possible? He just tossed Captain freaking America around like a rag doll and didn't even break a sweat!" My Asguardian friend glances between me and the Kree before answering.

"The conditions on their planet are different from Earth's and that causes them to be stronger and faster on Midguard than any other planet. They posses superhuman strength and agility when they enter the earth's atmosphere."

"Ok. So how to we beat him then?" Thor hesitates for a moment.

"They can't breathe our air because there isn't enough nitrogen, which means they have to have some sort of breathing device such as an air filter. If we can remove it, he'll be forced to either leave or die from lack of oxygen." I nod.

"I can work with that." I turn to see the Kree advancing on Steve, who's backed into a corner. Acting without hesitation, I pick up a rock about the size of my hand and hurl it directly at the monster's head, striking it right in the middle of his skull. The man turns around, rage burning in his eyes. Ok so that probably wasn't my best idea, but with all the things I've done in my life I figured why not add "pissed off an alien killer from another planet" to the list. Thanks to my somewhat stupid efforts, the creature is now barreling towards me like a freight train. I waiting until he's less than five feet away before diving off to the left out of his path, causing him to run headfirst into a concrete wall. The structure crumbles under the force of the impact. Much to my dismay I hear an enraged scream and suddenly he's coming right back. "Tony I need you to find his breathing device!" At first he looks confused but not even two seconds later Stark is nodding and running through every possible scenario of where it could be. I take off at a dead sprint down the hallway, the Kree not far behind. When we reach a corner I try to pull the same move I had earlier but this time when I try to dive out of the way he simply grabs my leg and hurls me down the corridor. I land with a thud and before I know it Natasha is by my side.

"Clint you idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed!" I roll my eyes and slowly stand up, with help from my partner. Before I can shoot back a witty retort the villain is already advancing on us once again. I'm about to turn and run, when I see it; a tube is running from inside his armor up into his helmet where it connects to his mouth. It's a breathing tube. Forming a plan in my head I turn to my companion.

"Run." She stares at me, shocked, before quickly glaring.

"Oh hell no, I'm not about to leave you to do whatever it is that you're thinking about in that bird brain of yours." I sigh loudly in exasperation.

"I'll be fine, Nat. I just need you to trust me, ok?" Reluctantly she nods and backs away slowly, glaring at me the whole time. I turn back to face the angry Kree and brace myself for his next attack. Just as I expected, he barrels straight towards me. Perfect. I force myself to remain still as the behemoth bares down on me. He's fifteen feet and closing in fast. Every instinct in my body is telling me to run, but I can't. Eight feet. I can see the sweat beading down his forehead as he careens toward me. Five feet. My muscles tense as I ready myself for action. Two feet. I drop to a crouch and begin to slide across the floor at the same time reaching up towards the man's breathing tube. He reaches down to grab me and I take the opportunity to rip the tube from his throat. I contort my body so that I narrowly avoid the massive hand that's reaching out for me and I end up directly behind him. My opponent turns to attack me but suddenly begins clutching at his neck, gasping for breath. He glares at me through slotted eyes and begins to try and repair his only way for surviving on our Earth. I use his current disability to my advantage and land a hard kick to the side of his head which knocks him over. He goes limp on the ground, dead. The other Avengers sprint to my side and cast one glance at the creature before the six of us take off down the hallway. Seconds later I hear Loki's angered voice, who undoubtedly was the one who brought the Kree into our world, followed by loud exclamations by Trickshot and the Red Skull. Steve suddenly comes up short, causing Bruce to go smashing into his back and nearly knocking him to the ground. The Captain expresses a silent apology before motioning towards the door that we have stopped in front of. There's a small window that allows us to see into the room that lay behind it. My eyes light up when I see just what makes up its contents. Our weapons are all stacked up in what looks to be an armory. Our enemies were either too stupid to think to properly hide them, or they didn't think we'd escape. Either way I'm happy to take advantage of our stroke of good luck and I slowly make my way through the door. Without hesitation I head straight towards my precious bow. Gingerly I pick it up before turning to grab my quiver. The others are quick to do the same with their own weapons. Once we've all acquired our preferred choice of defense, Steve takes charge.

"Red Skull and the others already know that we've beaten the Kree that they sent after us, so that means they'll be looking for us. There's no way we can take all of them on in our weakened state, so we're gonna have to think of another way to beat them. The only way we're gonna get out of here alive is if we work together. If we can make to the exit without getting killed we can make a run for the Quinjet and get the hell out of here." The rest of us nod, Steve's speech having been the right motivation. All of us ready our weapons and gather around the door, waiting for the right moment. Tony's voice suddenly breaks the silence.

"It's not bad enough that we had to be tortured for three days and then left to die, no we had to fight a wannabe blue man group from hell and now we're gonna run out into the freaking Arctic in nothing but the clothes on our backs in hopes that we can make it to our super secret airplane before getting killed by our worst enemies. I swear our lives suck sometimes." Starks outburst causes a grin to come over my face, even in the worst of situations that guy can lighten the mood. However the joking atmosphere quickly dissipates when footsteps sound down the hallway. If we're going to move, we have to go now. Steve reaches out for the doorknob and I take a deep breath. Cap swings the door open and the six of us sprint through the exit, weapons ready for battle.

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 _Well that's it for chapter Eleven! i hope you enjoyed it! As I said earlier I'm going to try and update faster but no promises. Until the next exciting chapter!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Ooh look at that, another update! I feel so accomplished. Well I'm not going to bore you with the details, so here's chapter twelve. Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Twelve: Hawkeye

As soon as we exit through the door, I search the immediate area for any signs of danger. Finding none I motion for us to move on. The sound of footsteps still echoes through the hallway and they're slowly getting closer. Steve leads the way down the corridor with Tony, Thor, Bruce, and Natasha in the middle with myself heading up the rear. Captain America carefully checks our surroundings before gesturing towards a set of double doors that lie just forty feet from our current position. We begin to make our way towards them but have only taken a few steps before a loud crash sounds behind us. I spin around, raising my bow as I do so. I can feel the somewhat healed skin that covers my chest wound tearing open from the movement and it takes everything I have not to drop my fighting stance. Regardless of my discomfort I keep my bow string pulled taunt and wait for the source of the noise to show themselves. I don't have to wait long as Loki, Trickshot, the Red Skull, Justin Hammer, Madame B, and the Red Hulk come careening around the corner, rage sketched across their features. They stop when they see us, as if they're challenging us to fight them. For a moment there's nothing but tense silence. Loki opens his mouth to speak but before he can do so, a hammer goes flying through the air and strikes the God of Mischief in the chest. Thor glares at his brother who lets out a pained grunt from the ground.

"I have tried to see the best in you Loki, but I can not ignore the torture of my friends." His loud voice booms throughout the space causing our opponents to draw back slightly. It was as if Thor's voice was a call to battle and suddenly Steve's shield slams into the Red Skull, knocking him to the ground. None of us move any closer to the villains, all of us knowing that we can't beat them in a hand to hand fight in our condition. I notch an arrow and aim it directly at Trickshot before letting it fly. It's about to make contact when a blast from Loki's scepter disintegrates it. I growl in frustration and release another projectile but get the same result. Our enemies have caught on to our plan and suddenly begin running towards us, knowing that we can't beat them. When it becomes clear that they're not going to stop, we do the only thing we can do. Run. My fellow Avengers lead the way as we take off at a dead sprint towards the doors. We're nearly there when I feel something whiz past me, barely missing my arm. It only takes a moment for me to realize that it was one of Loki's blasts. But a moment is too long. By the time I realize what it was it's already past me and heading straight for Natasha. My heart skips a beat and all I can do is scream.

"Natasha!" My partner turns towards me just in time for the blast to hit her thigh, causing her to fall to the ground. I can already see the blood pouring from her wound and the grimace on her face is enough to tell me she's in extreme pain. Trying to buy us some time I spin around and shoot an explosive arrow into the oncoming group. It detonates and sends them reeling backwards. In mere seconds I'm by Natasha's side. I drop to the floor and begin examining the wound. It's bad. Charred skin hangs from her leg and I can see bone. She's breathing heavily and I can almost see tears in her eyes. My breath catches in my throats when I see this. Natasha never cries, ever and for her to be in that much pain rips my heart to shreds. A shout sounds behind me and I turn to see Trickshot and the others heading straight towards us. We're not gonna make it, this is it. Then an idea hits me. If I can just buy the others enough time then they can still make it out, Nat can still make it out. Gritting my teeth I turn to Steve. The super soldier knows my plan before I can even voice it. He opens his mouth to protest but I shake my head firmly. His face falls but he nods determinedly and I turn to the rest of the Avengers, who all have the same defeated look. Diverting my attention away from them, I look at Natasha. Lying on the floor in the middle of this compound, she seems so fragile, so vulnerable and I can't stand it. Without thinking I reach out and hold her face in my hands and kiss her. She puts her hand on my arm and I pull away. The tears that were threatening to fall now flow down her face and I know she knows. She's my partner, I can't hide anything from her. She looks at me, her eyes pleading.

"Clint please don't do this." My heart breaks at her words. Pushing my emotions down I glance at Steve.

"Go." With that one word I have set everything into motion. Cap reaches down and grabs Natasha, pulling her struggling body to his chest. He takes one last look at me before dashing to the doors, the rest of my team in tow. Dread fills me as they leave, but I ignore it. With all of my remaining strength I stand to my feet and draw my bow. With lightning speed I release arrow after arrow at my attackers, each one hitting its mark but only slowing them down. My chest screams in agony and I can feel the blood flowing from my wound. But I keep shooting. My enemies are getting closer, only thirty feet away now. I begin to back up and soon my back is against the door. My shoulder burns and blood drips from my fingertips from the rough string of my bow, but I keep shooting. I keep shooting through the pain, through the exhaustion, through my weakness. I keep shooting until I'm out of arrows. My hand clasps around my last arrow and I pull it from my quiver. Not even hesitating for a moment I fire. The resulting explosion sends chunks of debris flying everywhere and throws my pursuers to the ground. I pull a pistol from the armory out of my waistband and wait for any of them to move. Suddenly Steve's voice comes over the comms.

"We're clear, get out of there!" All the anxiety leaves me at his words and I turn on a dime before hurling myself through the doors. I can hear Trickshot's curses from the other room and, not wasting a minute, I take off in the direction that my comrades went. My chest is consumed by a searing pain from the infection and I'm having trouble breathing, but I shove it out of my mind. I just need to ignore it long enough to get out of here. The door that I came through comes flying off its hinges and I see all six of our worst enemies baring down on me. My legs ache from the exertion, but I force myself to run faster. My limbs are shaking and I almost can't breathe but I can't stop. If I stop I'll die. Suddenly a thought hits me. Even if I do get away, they'll just come after us again. They will never quit until every one of us is dead, unless I stop them. I'm speaking over the comms. before I even realize it.

"Steve, are the Quinjet's missiles armed?"

"Yes. What are you trying to do?" Comes his weary reply. I take a deep breath and glance back. Trickshot and the others are gaining on me.

"I need you to blow up the compound."

"Sure. Just let me know as soon as you're clear." I close my eyes and sigh.

"I'm not gonna get clear, Steve. There's not enough time."

"There's always enough time, Clint! I'm not blowing that place with you still in it." I can hear his frustration on the other side of the line. I know what I'm asking isn't easy, but when has anything we've done ever been easy.

"Yes you are. If you don't then all of them will escape and come back to kill us. They'll never stop chasing us Cap, you know that. We have to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt."

"There's gotta be another way." Tony's voice suddenly bursts over the comms. My strength is fading and I can feel myself slowing down. I turn to look behind me and my heart skips a beat when I see how close my attackers have gotten. "The tracker in your comm. shows that you're a quarter mile from the exit. You can make that easy." Starks voice is so full of hope that I nearly believe him, but I quickly shake my head. I can't let the villains get away again.

"I can't make it Stark. You have to blow it before any of them have the chance to escape." I say between gasps.

"But Clint."

"No, Stark! No more excuses. I need you to do this. I can't let them get away again." I'm about to turn my comm. off when a familiar voice fills my ears.

"Clint, don't do this." Natasha's voice nearly causes me to stop in my tracks. "I can't lose you Clint, not again." Her voice cracks at the end. My heart breaks with every word. I take a deep breath.

"Nat, I love you." A sob echoes over the line and a tear slips down my face.

"I love you too." I can almost feel Trickshot's breath on my neck and I know it's time.

"Blow it." I hear a shout of anger from the other end of the comm. and for a moment I think Steve won't do it, but then I feel an explosion rock the compound. The force knocks me to the ground. I roll onto my back and prop myself up on my elbows. Trickshot, Loki, the Red Skull, Madame B, Justin Hammer, and Red Hulk all stand ten feet from me. Pure hatred burns in their eyes like fire and I can feel the anger radiating off of them in waves.

"Looks like you've finally run out of luck Barton, I wonder if you can come back from the dead a second time?" Trickshot sneers. I grin.

"Hey anythings possible, but I doubt you'll have the same success as I did. It's over." Another explosion rips through the building and the roof starts to cave in. The last thing I see before everything's goes black is the look of defeat on every one of my enemies faces.

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 _Well that's chapter twelve, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to update again soon, but no promises._


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey guys! sorry for the long update (again). Been super busy, but I finally got around to writing another chapter. So enjoy! Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Thirteen: Captain America

"I need you to blow the compound." I feel like I've been hit by a freight train with the weight of his words. My heart drops into my stomach and it takes me a moment to find my voice. Trying to be optimistic, I offer a nervous reply.

"Sure. Just let me know as soon as your clear." I hold my breath waiting for his reply.

"I'm not gonna get clear, Steve. There's not enough time." My breath catches in my throats and I shake my head, anger filling me at the his request.

"There's always enough time, Clint! I'm not blowing that place with you still in it!" My breathing has become ragged and I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't do this, I can't leave him in there. If I blow the compound it'll kill him. My thoughts are a whirlwind of possible solutions and I only catch parts of what Clint is telling me.

"They'll never stop chasing us Cap, you know that. We have to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt." Before I can speak Tony cuts in.

"There's gotta be another way. The tracker in your comm. shows that you're a quarter mile from the exit. You can make that easy." Stark's voice is pleading and I can feel the dread setting into my soul. Barton's heavy breathing is coming out in desperate gasps and I can tell he's slowing down. I'm not sure how much longer he can hold out.

"I can't... make it, Stark. You have to blow it before any of them have the chance to...to escape." Tony, refusing to accept it, continues to defy Clint's wishes.

"But Clint." Barton interrupts him.

"No, Stark! No more excuses. I need you to do this! I can't let them get away again!" I'm about to butt in, but suddenly Natasha's voice breaks into the conversation.

"Clint, don't do this." Her voice is weak, it shakes with every word. "I can't lose you, Clint, not again." I turn so that I'm now facing her. The girl is leaning heavily against Bruce as she struggles to stand on her injured leg, her face pale from blood loss. Sweat pours down her face from the effort it's taking to simply stand. Even with her face already drenched, I don't miss the single tear spill down her cheek. I'm snapped out of my daze when Clint begins speaking again.

"Nat, I love you." With those simple words I watch the world's most deadly assassin crumble. Her knees buckle and she sinks to the floor, dragging poor Bruce down with her. My gut wrenches when I see the pain she's in.

"I love you too." Her voice is barely above a whisper and I almost miss her statement, but I know Clint heard it because as soon as it's left her mouth, he's speaking again.

"Blow it." My hands ball into fists around the Quinjet controls and a take a deep, ragged breath. My palms are sweating and all of my muscles are tense. I can't do this. I can't do this. Images flash through my mind. Bucky falling from the train, Loki killing Coulson, Peggy on her death bed. Friends that I've lost. My whole body is shaking. "They'll never stop chasing us, you have to stop them before anyone else gets hurt." Clint's words echo through my mind. Dread fills me as I slowly realize that he's right, they won't stop. They'll kill every one of us and anyone else who gets in their way. Barton doesn't want that on his conscience, doesn't want any more blood on his hands. My heart drops into my stomach when I realize what I have to do.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. Before I can change my mind, I fire the missile at the compound and watch in horror as the structure collapses.

"No!" Natasha screams. She puts her head in her hands and sobs while the others stand stock still in shock. Even through their pain I can tell that they knew this was the only way, that they knew I had no other choice. But that doesn't make it any easier. The second I released that missile, I signed my team mate's death warrant. I killed Clint Barton.

* * *

The Quinjet lands with a thud next to giant pile of rubble that used to be our enemies' compound. I lower the cargo door and the four remaining Avengers and I stand there, frozen to our spots. There's not much left, only chunks of concrete and steel. My stomach churns from the strong iron smell in the air from the blood of the dead and the dying. Bodies litter the area, maimed and unrecognizable, on the ground. I close my eyes trying to draw my attention from the gory scene that lay before me. Natasha stumbles forward towards the wreckage in search of her partner, no one tries to stop her. I let out a shaky breath and Tony places a hand on my shoulder.

"You didn't have any choice, Steve." I shake my head in disagreement.

"But I did. I could've waited for him, I shouldn't have blown up the compound with him still in it. He could've made it if it wasn't for me."

"You know that wasn't an option. Barton was injured and they would've caught him, probably killed him afterwards. Then they would've come after us, all of us. Clint didn't want that, he sacrificed himself to save our lives. There's nothing you could've done that would've changed his mind." I hand my head and nod slowly, not fully believing him. It's enough to get him to drop the subject though, and he starts walking towards the debris. I follow his lead along with Bruce and Thor. Rocks crunch under my feet as I make my way along through the maze of concrete and destruction. I step around the bodies that block my path careful not to touch them, they might've been Hydra scum but they still deserve some respect. I've finally made it to the spot where we last heard from Clint and I begin searching the debris for any signs of life. My hands dig through the rubble and it's only been a few minutes when I find something. Loki is lying under some support beams, his body barely protected from harm by green magic holding the majority of the weight off of him. I lift the beam and drag him out before restraining him in case he happens to wake up while I'm searching for survivors. My eyes roam over the area around me and they land on something. There's an arm sticking out from underneath the wreckage and I dash over to it. Blood leaks out from under the wreckage and I take a deep breath before beginning to lift the large chunk of concrete. When that's out of the way I can see most of his body except for the head and shoulder, which are covered by another piece of debris. My eyes catch something wedged next to the body, the black object is too familiar to miss. Clint's bow lies a few feet from me. It's Barton. It's gotta be him. My heart skips a beat and I immediately try to pull the remaining debris off of him, determined to rescue my friend. When he's completely uncovered, I gently drag him out into the open. My stomach churns when I can finally get a look at the man's condition. Bones stick out it random directions and blood leaks from large gnashes that litter his skin. His skull is caved in and he's not breathing. He's dead. I gag and turn away from the mangled mess. Tears slip down my face and I can't stop myself. I turn my head and vomit on the ground. The image of my friend flashes through my mind and I wretch again. It finally subsides and I force myself to turn back around. The body is lying on its stomach with its head facing away from me so I can't see their face. Using every ounce of strength I have left, I turn the corpse over to make certain of their identity. Relief and dread flood me when I see that's it's not Clint. Relief because it's not Clint, dread because someone had to suffer through this pain. Justin Hammer lies in a pool of his own blood, the man is nearly unrecognizable due to the massive amount of injuries he sustained. My shaking limbs refuse to support me any longer and I drop to my knees, barely managing to hold myself up any longer. All of my energy leaves me as I sit there unsure of what to do. That could've been Clint lying there dead. If that's what happened to Hammer, I can't even imagine what shape Barton could be in. I take in a few deep, calming breaths before sitting back on my knees and prepare to continue my search. It's at that exact moment that Tony's voice rings through the air.

"I found him!"Without hesitation I leap to my feet and sprint off in the direction of Stark's shouts. When I finally locate him, the man has Clint lying on his back away from the debris and the others are gathered around the two. "He's alive."I slow my pace and come to stand next to the archer. He doesn't look good. Several deep gnashes litter his face, arms, and torso and it looks like he's got a couple broken ribs. His left leg is bent at a weird angle, probably broken, and there's a piece of steel sticking out from his abdomen. Everyone seems to be in too much of a shock to do anything. I finally snap out of my daze and begin spouting orders.

"We need to get him back to the Quinjet and get him some immediate medical attention." Upon hearing my command, Thor stoops down and gathers Barton in his arms before flying towards the plane. Tony and Bruce rush after him, but Natasha hasn't moved. I'm about to ask her why when her legs buckle and she collapses on the ground. I dash to her side and find the cause of her sudden collapse. Her face is as pale as a sheet from blood loss and wound on her leg is bleeding badly. I pick her up and take off at a sprint towards the Quinjet. When I arrive I lay her down next to Clint where Tony and Bruce have begun to work on him. Tony lets Bruce take over and moves to help Natasha. As soon as I know she's taken care of, I sit down in the cockpit of the plane and take off. Immediately I set a course for New York and start flying the fastest possible route there. I glance back at my team, grateful that everyone's still alive, for now.

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 _Well that's all for chapter thirteen! Hope you enjoyed it! I wanna thank everyone who's taken the time to read this story and has had the patience to stick with it. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated. Until the next exciting chapter!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey guys! I'm so so sorry for the lllloooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggg update, I've literally had no free time at all. So to make up for the long update, I tried to make this chapter a little longer than the other ones. I hope you enjoy it. So without further ado, chapter fourteen!_

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination_

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Chapter Fourteen:

Bruce's POV

My hands shake almost uncontrollably as I decide what my best course of action would be in order to help my friends. Natasha is obviously better off, but if I let her leg to continue to bleed unchecked she could deteriorate quickly. Clint is a mess with gnashes covering his body and an unimaginable amount of other injuries. Quickly I turn to Natasha and wrap a thick bandage around the wound, it's the best I can do until we get back to the shield base and I have more supplies. Next I focus my attention on Barton. The man's injuries are extensive and I immediately begin working on the worst of it. My hands roam over the jagged piece of steel that has embedded itself into my friends stomach. Tony finally has come out of his daze and joins me to lend a hand.

"Should we take it out?" The billionaire's normally humorous personality has been overshadowed by guilt and fear for his friends life, his voice shakes with every word. The man's nearly at his breaking point. So I do the only thing I can do, I take charge.

"No. if we remove it we risk him bleeding out before we can get him proper medical care, but we'll have to be extremely careful as to prevent further damage to his internal organs. I need you to get me a knife." He nods and quickly makes his way towards the front of the Quinjet. Soon he returns with about a six inch blade and hands it to me. I thank him before turning back to Clint. I need to get a better look at the wound and the only way to do that is to cut through his shirt. Carefully I grasp the fabric and slowly try to pry it away from the wound, which is no easy feat considering that some of the blood has dried and pasted the shirt to his skin. Finally I'm able to pull it loose and can get a good look at the injury. It's not pretty. The edges are somewhat jagged from the metal moving back and forth and it's bleeding pretty badly. There's not much I can do from here because I lack the proper medical supplies, so I resort to the most basic of first aid. Gently I wrap thick bandages around his midsection with the steel still lodged in his stomach trying to at least slow the bleeding and keep the object from moving too much. I let out a sigh and look over my situation. I've done all I can for Clint and Natasha, they'll just have to hold on long enough to get them to the S.H.I.E.L.D base. Steve, Thor, and Tony all refused to be treated until I'd taken care of the two assassins, but by the looks of it they won't accept any medical help until we get to the facility. Realizing that nothing else can be done, I lean back against the wall and exhaustion slowly overcomes me; sending me into a fitful sleep.

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Tony's POV

 _Rat Tat Tat_

My foot constantly taps against the floor of the Quinjet as we edge closer and closer to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters where a medical team will be waiting to transport Clint and Natasha to surgery, or at least that's what Steve was told when he radioed in to the base over half an hour ago. I look down and take in my appearance. My clothes are torn and tattered, the fabric covered in my friend's blood as much as my own. The sight makes me nauseous and I quickly divert my gaze.

 _Rat Tat Tat_

My hands tremble as I run one of them through my hair in frustration. I intertwine my fingers together in an effort to stop the skating, but it does little good and only succeeds in making my whole arm quiver, whether in exhaustion or fear I'll never know. My head pounds from the days spent without food or water and the constant beatings my body took, but I immediately shake my head. I shouldn't be complaining about a little lightheadedness when my friends are dying only a few feet away.

 _Rat Tat Tat_

I glance over at Clint and Natasha, they're limp forms lying unmoving on the floor. The only indication that they're still alive is the steady, albeit shallow, rise and fall of their chests when they breathe. There's only a slim chance that they'll make it out of this, and then all that we've done will have been for nothing. I immediately throw the thought from my mind, my optimism outweighing all logic. I take a deep, calming breath in an effort to ward off the anxiety that's slowly but surely creeping it's way into my thoughts. Now is not the time for another panic attack.

 _Rat Tat Tat_

The incessant tapping of my shoe has become dull even to my own ears as the flight continues and it finally slows to a stop. My whole body is trembling by now and it takes everything I have not to just slip into unconsciousness. I fear that I won't be able to stay awake much longer, which is one reason why I'm so relieved when the Quinjet lands at S.H.I.E.L.D HQ not to long after.

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Thor's POV

The plane lands roughly on the ground when we finally reach our destination and I watch as Barton and Lady Natasha are whisked away on hospital beds the second we arrive. I watch as Dr. Banner, Ironman, and the Captain exit the vessel and begin to follow our comrades into the building. Unsure of what to do, I remain outside watching for any threats that might've followed us from our our enemies hideout. Every quick movement or flash of light sends my senses into overdrive from the fear that has been instilled into me over the past few months. Fear of what could happen to me, to my friends, my family. My thoughts suddenly turn to Loki, the brother that I once trusted with my life, that I confided in, that used to always have my back. I remember all the times that he had tried to save me from father's wrath when I had been foolish, or when he would try and help me with math and science when we're were in school. He was the brother that would always smile when I arrived after a successful battle, or comfort me when we lost. My hands clench into fists and I shake my head in anger. That brother is no more, all that's left of my once faithful sibling is a monster that has just attacked my team mates, my family. All of those memories mean nothing now, the happiness they once brought is now only overshadowed by pain and regret. My little brother was lost long ago and now it's time that he pays for his crimes. Without hesitation I purposefully make my way to where Fury and the Son of Cole are standing. I offer them a nod and immediately propose my request.

"I wish to join the search party that has gone to retrieve the bodies and survivors from the compound." At first Fury seems hesitant, but Son of Cole answers before he has a chance.

"Go Thor. The search team will need all the help they can get." Without another word I fly into the air and set a course for the remains of the compound where we were held for all those days.

Director Fury and Agent Coulson watch as the God of Thunder flies away into the night.

"I'm amazed that he's still standing considering the condition of everyone else." Coulson says. Fury shakes his bald head, his one good eye still watching Thor leave.

"He is an Asguardian, Phil, I'm honestly not sure whether I'm surprised or not. As for the rest of the Avengers, they're chances are slightly less inviting." There's a long pause before Coulson speaks up.

"What do we do now, sir?"

"Pray."

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Steve's POV

I watch helplessly as Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Bruce are all wheeled away into their respective rooms for treatment on their injuries. Thor left long ago and now I'm left alone in the hallway, the super soldier serum had healed most of my wounds on the plane ride back, well except for the dehydration and malnourishment. My leg is still pretty tender from the beating it had taken during our staying in the cell, but otherwise I'm on the mend. Slowly I make my way to a water fountain and take a few generous sips to quench my ever-present thirst. Some of the liquid drops down off of my chin onto my shirt and it's when I look down to wipe it away I see the red blood covering most of my upper body. Dried patches peel off of my skin when I move and some still drips from my clothing leaving little red droplets all over the floor. My breathing quickens when I realize that most of it isn't mine, it's the blood of my team mates, my friends, my family. I feel sick to my stomach and quickly stumble over to the bathroom before I have the chance to vomit all over the floor. Luckily I make it to the toilet in time to keep from making a mess on the tile and I quickly empty the meager contents of my stomach into the bowl. The sudden exertion causes me to feel lightheaded and weak spans I have to sit on the floor to keep from passing out. I stay that way for about ten minutes before I finally have the strength to stand to my feet. Carefully I make my way to the sink and lean, shaking, against it. My fingers reach for the knob and soon hot water flows over my trembling hands and I water as it slowly turns red, the blood making swirling patterns in the sink until it's washed down the drain. I try desperately to wash the blood of my friends from my skin. Blood drips from my hands. The red substance flows down my arms, covering my body like cancer. I can't get it off, it stains my skin even after it's washed away. Eventually the flesh on my arms has been rubbed raw from the vigorous scrubbing in my effort to cleanse it, exasperated I pull my hands away from the sink and turn the water off. Slowly I look in the mirror and the face that's greets me is one I don't recognize. I no longer see the strong, confident man that went after Red Skull all those days ago. I no longer see Captain America. I see the scared kid from Brooklyn. The weakling that got beat up in back allies by bullies and thugs. I never thought I'd see that kid again, I didn't want to. I can't find even a remnant of the man who could hold the weight of the world on his shoulders and still stand tall and proud. My shoulder slump from the terrible gravity of my situation. It feels as if ten tons has suddenly been dropped on top of my shoulders and it gets heavier and heavier until I can bear it no longer. My knees buckle and I slide slowly down to the ground, my back pressed firmly against the stone wall. I take a deep breath and slowly fade away into unconsciousness, that is until I hear the terrified scream of Natasha Romanoff piercing through the stale air of the hospital. It only takes me a moment to figure out what's happened when the shrill cry of a heart monitor filling the area signaling a flatline. One of my friends' lives has just ended. I haul myself to my feet and throw my body out the door to see which member of my family I've lost. I thought I was prepared for what would come next, but the second I see their lifeless face I nearly collapse. Tears stings the backs of my eyes as I stare in horror at my friend lying in the hospital bed while doctors try frantically to revive him. It seems as if Clint's luck has run out.

* * *

Natasha's POV

It takes me a moment to get my bearings when I finally come to, the sterile smell of a hospital filling my nostrils brings me back into reality. Why am I in a hospital? What happened? I only have to wonder for a few moments before the events of the past few days come crashing down on me like a tidal wave. My eyes fly open and I jolt into a sitting position, wide awake. The nurse who had been in the process of checking the IV that was imbedded in my arm jumps back in surprise. She takes a second to gather her thoughts and smiles at me.

"How are you feeling Mrs. Romanoff?" I just stare at her for a moment before compose myself.

"I'm fine. Where are the others?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, it's confidential." Angers boils in me and it takes everything I have not to beat the living crap out of her right then and there.

"Confidential my ass. They're my team mates and I demand to know where they are, right now." My hands clench into fists and I takes deep, rapid breaths in order to keep my temper in check. I've been held captive for the past four days without food or water in freezing temperatures, was tortured, had to watch my friends be hurt, and stand there doing nothing while my best friend was basically blown away and now I have to deal with a fresh out of college nurse who thinks she has the right to keep my team mates location from me. I'm so done with today. Suddenly an image of Clint pops up into my mind. My best friend lying there bleeding out on the floor of the Quinjet, and I can't save him. It keeps replaying over and over in my mind. It's like a bad dream. But this time it's not a nightmare, it's really happening. The only thing that matters to me right now partner. "Where is Clint!?" I yell at the woman trying to restrain me. She ignores my question and tries to get me to stop.

"Miss you need to calm down. You'll aggravate your injuries!"

"Where is he?!" I scream in frustration before snatching my arm out of the patron's grip and harshly pushing her away. "I need to see him!" I pull my hand back and, without hesitation, punch the woman right in the nose and I feel the bones crack under my fist. Ignoring her shout of pain I leap from the bed, despite the heavy protesting of my injured leg, and head out the door into the hallway. It only takes me a moment to spot my partner being wheeled down the corridor towards one of the rooms. I sprint towards him and I can hear the doctors shouts of confusion when they see me approaching. I ski to a halt next to them. "How is he?" The Doctor gives me a skeptical look before opening his mouth to answer. But before he has the chance, a shrill cry sounds throughout the space and I turn towards the source of the sound. My breath catches in my throats when I realize that the sound was Clint's heart monitor flatlining. It's as if time stands still and all I can do is watch as my partners heart stops. I can't move, can't breathe, I can't even think, all I can do is scream in horror as the doctor's rush to Clint's side. Immediately they charge up a defibrillator and place it on my friend's chest before sending a shock through him, his body seizing up for a moment before going limp again. Someone suddenly appears next to me and I hear Steve's worried voice. He says something but I don't hear him, all my attention is on my partner. It takes three more agonizing tries before the doctors finally get his heart beating again and I nearly collapse when they start to take him away. Cap puts a hand on my shoulder and I struggle to hold back a sob. He takes me by the arm and leads me to Clint's room. The second we arrive I take my seat by his bed and begin the waiting process, hoping against hope that he can pull through for a second time.

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 _Well that's all for chapter fourteen of Cold as Ice! Did you like it? I hope so. I'd once again like to apologize for the long update. Reviews are appreciated. Until next chapter!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Hey Guys! Sorry for the long update, but I've finally finished the LAST CHAPTER of this story. I hope you enjoy it._

 _disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination._

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Chapter Fifteen:

Natasha's POV

As I sit by my partner's bedside waiting for him to wake up I can't help but frown at his condition. He doesn't look like Clint, not my Clint. The Clint I know is strong, unstoppable even. He refused to be defeated, no matter what obstacles were thrown at him. Barton is a man of unparalleled willpower and compassion. He never stopped believing that there were still heroes, even if he didn't consider himself as one of them. The man lying in the hospital bed next to me is vulnerable, he has been beaten down into a remnant of what he once was. His impenetrable armor was shattered into a million pieces, leaving nothing but the broken man beneath it. He fought so hard only to end up like this. Red fills my vision as I think about the man who did this to my friend. My hands clench into fists and I walk briskly out of the room towards the high security cells where villains are kept on the base. Thor had returned an hour ago with Loki, Trickshot, and Red Skull in tow, the rest of their comrades had been lost in the explosion. I'm so enraged that I don't even realized that Madame B will never come after me again. All I can think about is Clint lying there dying because of the torture that was inflicted upon him. Within no time I'm standing outside one of the cells, glaring at its occupant. Trickshot has his back to me.

"I figured you'd be down here eventually." He turns to face me. "I wish it was Clint though, would've loved to get another opportunity to kill him." My hands clench into fists and, in a flash, I have my gun drawn and aimed at his head.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brain to bits." I grind out through gritted teeth.

"Because it won't gain you anything, it gives you no tactical advantages." The smile on his face nearly sends me over the edge as I move my finger to the trigger.

"No it won't, but it sure as hell will make me feel better." I cock the gun and continue to aim in unwavering at him. The door opens behind me and I turn my head to see Steve come rushing in. He sees our current situation and shakes his head.

"Natasha put the gun down." I ignore him and keep glaring at the man who nearly killed my partner. Steve calls out again, louder this time. "Natasha put the gun down!" Finally I turn to face him, but the pistol is still aimed at Trickshot.

"No, he has to pay for what he did to Clint." My hands grip the weapon even tighter as I say this. Steve frowns, shaking his head as he does so.

"Natasha he will pay for what he did, I promise, but this isn't the way. This isn't right." I can feel my anger fading and, slowly, I lower the gun. Just as I'm starting to walk away, I hear a voice behind me.

"Tell me sweetie, is he dead?" Without warning, I spin around and pull the trigger before exiting the room, but not before I hear Trickshot scream in agony as the bullet lodges itself in his thigh. I walk calmly down the hallway back towards the hospital room I'd left only moments ago, watching as doctors storm down to the cell where Trickshot resides to care for his injuries. Finally I make it to the door that leads to Clint's room and slowly push it open. My heart stops when I my eyes land on the scene before me. The white, pristine bed now has the sheets strewn haphazardly across the floor and the IV line is lying on the floor. But the thing that immediately catches my attention is the absence of a certain archer. My partner is gone.

Clint's POV

A loud, repetitive beeping is what finally brings me into consciousness and my eyes flutter open. Slowly I take in my surroundings and groan when the familiar layout of a hospital meets my searching gaze. I take a deep breath and move to sit up, but a sharp pain in my stomach causes me to flop back onto the too fluffy pillows. Carefully I check myself over, looking for any other injuries. My abdomen and torso is completely covered in bandages, so much so that I can't even see the skin underneath, and there's several sets of stitches across my arms where the cuts must've been pretty deep. I reach up and touch my forehead and discover that it's thickly wrapped also and there's a bright purple cast encasing my left leg from just below the knee all the way down to my toes. What happened? I glance down at the purple cast again and shake my head. Stark probably picked out the color, I roll my eyes. Suddenly my thoughts turn to the billionaire, noting his absence and everyone else's for that matter. Where could they be? My mind is quickly assaulted by images of my friends. Bruce sitting in a corner with his knees pulled to his chest, Tony's face looming over me, Steve's leg mangled by some sort of wire, Natasha being pulled away from me in a hallway. Everything comes back to me in a blur. The compound, the explosion. If my team mates aren't here, especially Nat, then they must be in pretty bad shape. I have to go find them and make sure they're ok. My mind decides it's time to move long before my body does and soon I'm gripping the side of the bed in frustration as my limbs refuse to cooperate.

"Come on Barton." I'm finally able to push myself up into a sitting position and I go to swing my legs over the side of the bed. I bite back a shout of pain as my leg is jostled and the pain in my stomach intensifies. Not willing to give up, I slowly haul myself off of the bed and am soon standing, leaning against the wall for support. Grunting with effort I move along the wall until I reach the doorway and peer out into the hall. There's very few people and I can see the entrance to another room just across the hall. Maybe one of them is in there. I think to myself as I make my way over to the door. It's slow going but finally I reach my destination and, with all the strength I have left, I push the door open and enter the room. My heart sinks a little when I find the room to be empty and I'm about to head back out when I hear a loud exclamation from outside. I sprint, well more like hobble, to the door and exit just in time to see a very angry red head go stomping up to the front desk where a very young, very terrified nurse stands.

"Where is he?!" Nat yells at the girl angrily.

"M..ma'am p..please calm down. He was in h..his room when I checked on him ten minutes ago." My partner glares at the poor girl.

"Well obviously ten minutes was enough time for him to disappear now wasn't it." The woman is about to respond when I interrupt. I clear my throats loudly and wave at the Russian.

"Hey Natasha. Did you miss me?" She growls and quickly makes her way over to my current position before coming to a stop right in front of me, glaring all the way.

"What the hell are you doing? You almost gave me a heart attack!" She punches me in the shoulder and I wince when it pulls at the stitches in my stomach. I quickly cover it up but Nat had already seen it and her expression softens, even though she's still glaring it's just not as scary. "You should be resting!" She drags me by my arm back to my bed, completely ignoring my yelp of pain, and forces me to lie back down.

"Im fine, Nat." She rolls her eyes at me.

"Sure, because being tortured and blown up is the very definition of fine." Sarcasm drips from her words and I fight the urge to scoff at her. I'm about to retort but Steve picks that exact moment to enter the room with Tony, Bruce, and Thor in tow. The second they see Natasha's angry expression, they immediately try to backpedal it out into the hallway. Deciding that I'm not going to endure her wrath alone, I call out.

"Hey guys. Glad you came to visit." I smile at the death glares that are sent my way by the four men as they slowly re-enter the room.

"We just came to check up on you. We heard Natasha yelling something about you disappearing, so we figured we'd better make sure you were alright." Steve's voice squeaks at the end when Natasha sends a glare his way and I laugh, which sends another spike of pain through my body and I groan. The others look at me and I wave them off.

"I'm fine." The four of them give me skeptical looks, eyeing the various injuries that I'm sporting and I roll my eyes. "Seriously guys, I've had worse." Tony pipes up.

"We know." Silence settles over the group and I sigh in relief. The lack of sound gives me a moment to get my scattered thoughts in order and I think back to the last few seconds before the explosion. The faces of our enemies are etched into my mind and I sigh.

"Did any of them make it?" For a long time no one answers, they just clench their jaw and stand there with their shoulders tense. Well that answers that question. "Who?" Again none of my comrades want to inform me as to whether any of our foes are still alive. I turn to Bruce. The doctor is shifting uncomfortably and when we make eye contact he quickly adverts his gaze. "Bruce? Who made it?" He looks at me and takes a deep breath. Finally, the man speaks.

"Loki and Red Skull." I can tell that he's hiding something and I sigh.

"Who else?" He takes a deep breath and for a minute I don't think he'll answer me but eventually his shoulders slump and he frowns.

"Trickshot." I close my eyes and sink further into the hospital bed. Of course Trickshot made it out, no matter what I do I can't get him out of my life. He keeps coming back. My hands clench into fists and I take a deep breath. Slowly I reopen my eyes and turn to Nat.

"Where is he?" I don't have to clarify who I'm talking about, I know she knows.

"He's being held in a high security cell on the base." My whole body tenses from the realization of our close proximity. After everything that's happened I don't think I can handle being anywhere near him, let alone in the same building. What if he escapes? What if he comes to finish what he started? Natasha notices my discomfort and she places a hand on my arm.

"It's over Clint. Trickshot's gonna spend the rest of his life in prison, he's not coming back." Her voice is strong and somehow it manages to convince me that maybe she's right, maybe it really is over. I nod my head slowly and she sighs. "Get some rest Clint, you're gonna need it." I don't need to be told twice and almost immediately the room is fading away. The last thing I remember before I doze off is Natasha reaching for my hand and I know she'll stay there until I wake up.

ONE MONTH LATER

The pen glides smoothly across the paper as I sign my name across the documents sitting in front of me. When I'm finished the nurse gathers the papers and gives me a smile as she goes over the last few procedures for my release from the hospital. I breathe a sigh of relief as she hands me the release form so I can finally leave the sterile room behind. I stare at the document that's grasped in my palm, with this I can finally leave everything that's happened behind. Natasha puts a hand on my shoulder and a small smile adorns my face.

"You ready to go?" My grin wavers slightly and I turn to face her.

"Yeah. There's just one thing I need to do first." She gives me a look but eventually nods, seeing the determination in my eyes.

"You know talking to him could just open up old wounds right?" I sigh.

"I know, but I have to do this Nat. I'm not gonna be able to move on until I do."

"Ok, then lets go." She takes my hand and we slowly make our way towards the high security cells on the other side of the base. With every step I can feel my unease increasing and by the time we finally reach the door I feel like I might throw up. My eyes flutter closed for a second and my partner's grip on my hand tightens. I inch closer to the steel barrier separating me from one of my worst enemies. My hand hovers over the key pad that will open the door and for a moment I don't think that I can do it, but I just shake my head. _There's no turning back now_. I think to myself as I punch in the code and step into the large room. The concrete walls remind me of the time that I spent held captive all that time ago and it seems right that Trickshot would have to endure the same cold prison. A voice penetrates the silence.

"Hello Clint, looks like you're feeling better, that's unfortunate. I thought for sure that a building falling on you would've done a lot more damage." I keep my face a blank expression, the emotionless mask hiding the rage inside of me.

"I could say the same thing about you." He smiles and stands from the cot that he had currently been occupying before slowly walking towards the steel bars that separate us.

"You know I'm surprised you came, I figured you'd want to just walk away. I thought you'd just turn your back on me again and leave me to face the consequences, just like old times. I guess even backstabbers change." I send a glare his way and take a step towards him.

"I don't regret what I did, I never have. You were a criminal and I didn't want any part of that so I left." Trickshot clenches his fists and snarls.

"Oh and you think that you abandoning me makes us for everything that you've done? You're just as guilty as me Clint. You expect people to think of you as one of the good guys, but the truth is you're no better than the people you fight against. Who do you think would trust you if they knew your past? If they knew what you've done they would turn their backs on you, just like you did to me. You're nothing compared to them." I cross my arms over my chest and shrug.

"You're right, I'm no angel. I'm not like them. But you know what? I don't need to be, all I need to do is stop people like you from hurting people like them." The man across from me snarls in anger.

"You think of yourself as some kind of hero? A force for good that goes around protecting the innocent? You're nothing but an ex-carney that thinks he can make up for the blood on his hands by going after people who used to be just like him." I sigh and shake my head.

"I know I'm not a hero. But I am an Avenger and right now, that's all I need to be." I turn on my heel and walk out the door, ignoring Trickshot's angry shouts from his cell as I go. When I exit out into the hall, Natasha is waiting for me.

"Are you ready?" I nod and we walk out, arm in arm, towards the motorcycle that's sitting in the parking lot. I quickly climb on and Nat sits down behind me. The engine revs to life and I take one look back before speeding off towards the newly repaired Avengers tower, leaving the hospital, and Trickshot, in the dust.

THE END

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 _Well that's it for chapter fifteen of Cold As Ice, I hope you enjoyed it. As I said earlier this is the FINAL CHAPTER. I'm sad to see this story end, but I thank everyone who's taken the time to read it. Reviews are appreciated. Until next time._


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